By ChrisC
February 22 2011

Hello Sailor                                                        This Eric Idle novel from the 1970s presaged the eventual demise of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and for periods this season an outsider may, on the basis of their performances, have seen a similar fate on the cards for Sale Sharks as a Premiership club and indeed they still remain detached at the bottom of the league in tenth together with Newcastle and Leeds in eleventh and twelfth respectively with Sale  being eleven points or more adrift of Exeter Chiefs in ninth place.

It would seem that there is still much turmoil at Edgeley Park where things are well – edgy – couldn’t resist that. 

I thought that when, just as Santa was filling his sled, the eminently likeable Pete Anglesea took charge after the demise of the combative Mike Brewer, it was essentially because he would be a man behind whom the troops would rally or, to paraphrase the modern parlance so beloved of the more swivel eyed conspiracy theorists, “have the dressing room” as against “losing the dressing room”  the latter of which has always seemed to me a precursor for the demise of any Director of rugby, after all if he can’t even find where the players are hanging out with their X Boxes he is in trouble. 

As it is before Big Red could get his bum on the seat Steve Diamond hoved into view from the land of the oligarchs where he’s been working with another Sale old boy, their erstwhile backs coach; Jos Baxendale, in getting the Russian national team through to the World Cup finals.  I wonder how long it’ll be before he too returns to the North West, then it’ll truly be back to the future for the good ship Sharks. 

To me it seems that the mid season turmoil has made Sale a house divided with the Kingsley Jones/Mike Brewer and the Pete Anglesea/ Steve Diamond camps eyeing each other suspiciously from behind the scrummaging machines. 

Some of the players signed by Mike Brewer seem to have fallen from favour, disappearing as if the Stasi has reappeared and spirited them away.  So with nineteen players reportedly out of contract at the season’s end there could be changes a plenty on the way. 

Tigers meanwhile labour on without a whole starting fifteen either absent either watching TV at Pennyhill Park or at home nursing injuries but still the Champions continue squeezing out results and doing their utmost, against all the odds, to hold on to the top of the Premiership with the largely untroubled Saracens close behind in the slipstream, their Fezzes at an increasingly jaunty angle as they look ahead to visiting Welford Road in a fortnight’s time and taking on the denuded Tigers in a match where, if results go their way this weekend and Wasps don’t do Tigers a favour by beating them at Adams Park, victory could well see the Watford dromedaries go top. 

Ahead of Tigers making their annual trip to Stockport, which again is on a Friday evening and which again promises to be wet, I watched three Premiership matches this last weekend. 

The first was the Gloucester victory at Kingsholm when the home side did for a still misfiring London Irish who have slipped down the table as in seasons passed, having made a bright start with the promise of another new dawn only to falter and drift downward after Christmas just like the Irish economy.  As was the case when they played Wasps the previous week the Cherry and Whites dominated the set piece against a poor scrummaging side and made fine use of their possession with their current crop of good young backs. 

Then I watched the Bath against Saints contest which was a case of the Saints’ scrum, who in spite of looking weary and off their peak, still dominated Bath up front but without Downey, Ashton, Lawes, Wood, Diggin and Foden they looked bereft behind the pack and quite why Geraghty has to sit behind the severely limited Myler is a mystery to me.  In any event and, in spite of having little decent set piece ball and Wayne Barnes seemingly setting his face against them, the home side produced a stunning display of running rugby to destroy the visitors. 

Finally I watched Tigers entertain Wasps in a poor match in poor conditions with Tigers wanting to win and Wasps not wanting to lose.  In testing conditions there was a dearth of skilful rugby not helped by referee Andrew Small once again failing to control the scrum or breakdown.  I thought on Saturday he produced another Neroesque performance as he fiddled with the minutiae as the game burned in anarchy. 

This week’s contest in the North West has Tim Wigglesworth in control of his thirty-first Premiership encounter, so let’s hope for better things. 

Sale will be without Andrew Sheridan and the bang in form Mark Cueto when Tigers travel to Stockport although I expect that Saracens bound Charlie Hodgson will be released by England to be available for selection, although as it’s a Friday evening match he’ll have had precious little time with his team mates. 

Tigers will have to manage again without their international absentees which this week will include Martin Castrogiovanni who returns to Six Nations duty with Italy. 

Unless Julian White recovers from his ankle injury then Peter Bucknall looks destined to start at tight head with George Chuter hooking and probably Marco Ayerza on the loose head side however after Bucknall the shelf is looking bare in the tight head department in particular and the scrum in general.  

 Sale have their own issues here though with Sheridan away with England and Karena Wihongi missing over the last few fixtures, even though I thought he looked a useful player he’s reputed to be on his way to Toulon but then who isn’t?  Mancunian and ex Sandbach player, Lee Imiolek has been injured but is now fit so I expect to see him start with young Marc Jones at hooker continuing to stand in for Neil Briggs, who’s also injured but should be back soon, and another youngster, Henry Thomas remaining at prop. 

To me this young and relatively inexperienced trio, with the other big hitter, Eifion Roberts, also injured and rumoured to be on his way out as well, could have a difficult evening against the more experienced and largely international Tigers’ trio especially as, in any event, Sale are tenth in the stats on winning scrums on their own ball whereas Tigers are second. 

In the second row I expect to see George Skivington and Man of The Match against Wasps, Steve Mafi, continue for Tigers.  Skivington is now looking rock solid with a high stat for line outs stolen and with the athletic Mafi and Newby or Tom Croft the Tigers’ lineout is looking impressive although the extra grunt given by the absent Louis Deacon is missed at scrum time. 

Chris Jones, having seemingly been out of favour with Mike Brewer, is now starting regularly at #4 paired with twelve time capped Fijian international lock Wame Lewaravu. 

I can’t honestly see the hosts getting much change out of the Tigers’ line out although Jones remains a potent weapon and works well with James Gaskell who are themselves an athletic combination, it’s just their options are more limited than those available to Tigers and the hosts do not have a peerless record here either, being second in the stats for line outs lost on their own ball whereas Tigers lose relatively few. 

Although Tom Croft is now fit and happily, as the England management seem to have at last grasped  that a player’s club knows best when he’s ready for international action, is available for Tigers.  I don’t expect him to start but to come on for the second half although I wouldn’t rend my raiment if he started.  I anticipate that the starting breakaway unit will include Ben Woods, who needs to get his mojo working and sensible head on again after his long layoff as he’s giving away too many penalties, although with Mr Small in charge of the random penalty whistle at the breakdown that’s not difficult to do.  I’d guess Craig Newby will continue to bring his aggressive defence and newly acquired lineout expertise and give way to Croft later on or maybe vice versa, in truth it matters not. 

With Jordan Crane still nobbled then top Premiership ball carrier, Thomas Waldrom, looks nailed on for the #8 shirt. 

The Sale back row has a settled look about it at the moment with the excellent and wonderfully mobile James Gaskell at blindside his having deposed Brewer recruit Boko  who scored a try at Welford Road last December, with another stalwart; Carl Fearns, who unceasingly tackles his heart out and features in the most carries made stat, at open side.  These days they are joined by another Fijian international; Sisaro Koyamaibole, who has been capped on forty-one occasions by his country, he’s an aggressive carrier when he gets the chance and a top off loader however with his front five colleagues spending too much time on the back foot it’s his defensive qualities that have been to the fore this term. 

I hope that Tigers contest the breakdown more effectively than they have on occasions this term as it could be that there will be opportunities thereabouts as demonstrated first by Hooker Joe Gray and then Mike Brown with their tries for Quins last Saturday but Tigers must get the ball out far more quickly and give the half backs or the back row ball carriers a chance. 

Overall I think that even the reduced Tigers will have the better of the contest up front but as it looks likely to be wet again they’ll need to exercise better handling skills than they did against Wasps, perhaps an investment in that special spray for the hands is warranted or even some of those nifty Ben Kay gloves. 

With Tigers’ first choice half backs waiting to get acquainted with the French I expect that James Grindal and Jeremy Staunton will again start.  Last week Grindal’s limited abilities were tested to the full in horrible conditions with a breakdown and scrum that degenerated into anarchy the ball coming back slower than a weekend train on Network Rail, the stand in scrum half being sorely exposed to, the invariably offside, Wasps’ back row and the excellent Nic Berry. 

Sale too have their travails with Dwayne Peel absent on international duty, where I fail to understand how he doesn’t start ahead of the lumbering Phillips, and he’s now injured, so with the attempted signing of the Samoan international Mikaela Pesamino having fallen foul of the immigration laws young Will Cliff has been on duty, the lad looks to have a good, fast pass with Chris Leck in reserve. Neither Cliff or Leck have great depth of experience at this level of the sport and they have had a hard time behind a pack so often coming off second best.

The newly aggressive Jeremy Staunton, who stands much flatter now than he ever has throughout his career, repeatedly received the ball with a Wasps’ player seemingly attached to it last Saturday and in the circumstances his performance was admirable but he will need to be on his mettle opposing Charlie Hodgson who’ll prod Sale into the Tigers’ 22 at every opportunity and he’ll need to match Hodgson from the kicking tee as well where the England third choice remains the record Premiership goal kicker.  Where, even with his recent improvement, the Irishman will not match

Hodgson is in distribution where the soon to be Sarrie is superb. The question is of course will his pack and inexperienced half back partner be able to put him in a position to weave his spells? 

Behind the pack Tigers have a settled and prospering centre combination with the ever excellent Anthony Allen and the bristling Manu Tuilagi who continues to terrify defences but who has still work to do on his defensive work to become the elusive finished article. 

Sale have just not had any semblance of a cutting edge behind the pack this season and it seems that South African Kyle Tonetti, who was also signed by Mike Brewer from his old club Leinster, has of late not been able to keep the inside centre shirt that he’d worn with some distinction early on with yet another Tuilagi, this time Anitele’a, getting his paws on it against Bath with Tonetti wresting it back for the loss at Quins.  Devonian Chris Bell has been a regular at centre and is reliable option now that the mercurial but injured Matthew Tait, who repeatedly got over the gain line for Sale but was too often isolated for lack of support,  has left the club to complete his rehab ahead of a rumoured move to Tigers. 

Sale have a good offloading game keeping  the ball moving admirably however too often they make little forward progress with too much of the action behind the advantage line permitting the opposition to wait them out until they make a mistake or kick the ball away in frustration. However Tigers will need to drastically reduce the number of tackles they miss, which is the worst in the Premiership, whereas Sale, who’s survival has been predicated on their defence have a 25% better record.  A “must do better” for the Tigers. 

The problem I guess with the Sale centres is that they do not bring the ever present threat of a Manu Tuilagi or Anthony Allen. 

On past performances I would have thought that the Tigers’ pair present the greater threat. 

In the back three, with Geordan Murphy and Matt Smith still injured, I expect that Alex Tuilagi will continue and be looking to add to his try count with Hamilton continuing at full back.  I can’t say that Agulla looks a natural winger and if he’s not to be played at his international position of full back then maybe his compatriot Lucas Amorosino should get the nod out wide even though he’s in the departure lounge practising his French.  As an off piste idea I wonder whether Twelvetrees could fill the 13 shirt with Manu Tuilagi on the wing? 

Sale have Mark Cueto absent for England and a long injury list amongst their back three options, the latest being Rhys Crane who was crocked against Bath, so I expect to see Black Country born Tom Brady on one side with the evergreen Ben Cohen on the other.  Cohen has lost some of the pace he had in his heyday but still has the nous gathered from his long service at Saints and his 57 England caps.  He’s displaying a new found hunger for the game in imperfect circumstances since being brought back from Brive.  He’s managed to cross the whitewash three times in this year’s Premiership but last Saturday just a Yellow Card was secured by him against Quins when he had a bit of a bust up with George Lowe. 

At full back regular Samoan international Paul Williams, who is in both the most metres gained and most turnovers conceded stats, is injured as is Nick Macleod, so it looks as if young ex Falcon, Rob Miller, is to be the last line of defence against the Tuilagis. 

Tigers don’t have altogether happy memories of matches at Edgeley Park having won there only once in seven visits and then only by a single point back in April 2007 however with Sale in poor form, disrupted by internal strife and with a long injury list I can’t help but think that this is a match that Tigers could win in spite of their straitened circumstances but to do so they’ll have to start well as if Sale get their noses in front they have a well tried defence that will be hard to break down particularly if it’s protecting a lead. 

I don’t think it’ll be by much but I just have a feeling that the Tigers could sneak this one – let’s hope so as I can smell camel !

Sale v Tigers Preview

Discussion started by TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk , 22/02/2011 21:38

TheLeicesterTigers.co.uk
22/02/2011 21:38

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:03:02:17:51:38 by Stephen Bath.

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SimW
22/02/2011 21:52

Excellent again Chris. Thanks.

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Johns
23/02/2011 09:50

You should join up with BM and at the DT, such articles deserve rewarding with cash.

You would still be expected to contribute to this board though with our thanks as your reward.

It is pay day again., Thanks Chris.

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Rich W
23/02/2011 09:55

Good work again Chris. But did you have to be so provocative?

...

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ChrisC
23/02/2011 13:31

Moi?

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Rich W
23/02/2011 13:46

...

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seventyeight
24/02/2011 10:33

Excellent as ever.

Love the final phrase - " let’s hope so as I can smell camel !"

Many thanks

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IDLETIMES
25/02/2011 13:01

Another brilliant read, well done Chris.

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Spooner McPhee
25/02/2011 16:59

Tediously, repetitively excellent

It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society [not original]. We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them [AE]

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Stopsy
25/02/2011 19:26

Thanks Chris.

Lazy, unresearched tat as ever.

You missed out: James Gaskell ex Sandbach and Will Cliff ex Sandbach.

Pah! call yourself a Rugby fan.

Brilliant as ever.

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