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TIGERS PUSHED HARD BY SALE YOUNGSTERS |
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Written by Peter Collins
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Friday, 18 August 2006 |
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Sedgley's second pre-season friendly sees Sharks' wannabees pip new look Tigers in a fast-paced affair.
SEDGLEY PARK 17
SALE SHARKS XV 20
FRIENDLY
THEY may have been youngsters but they were Sale Sharks’ youngsters, so when the Tigers faced a Sale Sharks’ XV on Thursday night the Sale side they faced saw the clash as an opportunity to impress watching Sharks’ supremo Philippe Saint Andre, rather than as a friendly.
For Tim Fourie it was an opportunity to put his charges up against a fast, well drilled, well organized and highly motivated bunch of highly talented young players, out to climb the Guinness Premiership Champions’ selection ladder.
Indeed Fourie found himself in the unusual position of facing three of the Sale players he has signed on loan for the forthcoming National Division One season from the Edgeley Park club – k Sean Cox, scrum-half Chris Leck and hooker Marc Jones, who Sale used as a flanker, as they occasionally do in the first team with Andy Titterrell.
Missing for the Tigers was Jonny Roddam, who bruised a shoulder in the friendly against Wharfedale; Jon Skurr and Petrus Du Plessis who are on holiday; Jason Duffy, who is recuperating from a broken ankle; Chris Hall, who is still in negotiations with the club; and of course the three Sale loanees, although skipper Jimmy Ponton was back after resting a troublesome shoulder.
The visitors seemed to get the better of the early kicking duel and had go-forward to spare, using their pace to switch play from wing to wing.
They took the lead on 23 minutes through a 35-metre penalty that proved to be the only score of the half, although play was far from staid.
Both sides at times suffered with the greasy ball and thinking of the next move instead of concentrating on safely receiving the ball being passed, which resulted in countless knock-ons and scrums, with Sale proving a handful in the tight.
The Tigers tried to get Craig and Voortman in particular running the angles in midfield and they occasionally breeched the Sale defensive line, but were hauled down by some determined tackling, although as the half wore on they got their rolling maul going and bean to suck the Sale forwards in while gaining ground, although it has to be said Sale looked the more inventive with the ball in hand.
Not long after the restart Sale improved their lead when from a scrum 25 metres out they switched play from right to left at speed and went over in the corner.
As if stung into action Sedgley pounced on a Sale fumble from the re-start and the forwards worked the pick-and-go to drive the ball downfield and force a try, with Fijian Ledua Jope emerging from underneath the mound of bodies clutching the ball. Phil Jones’ conversion missed and the Tigers were 5-8 behind.
That was soon turned into a 10-8 lead when again three solid phases of play were rewarded with a try for Ponton, after Roko and Craig had carried the ball well into contact, gaining ground with the forwards rounding things off. Jones’ conversion moved the score onto 12-8 to the home side.
Sale regrouped and momentum down the right touchline ended when the ball was fed inside to allow a Shark to cross the Tigers’ line for a converted try – 12-15.
After stemming another sweeping Sale move the Tigers developed one of their own, switching the point of attack three times before Joe Knowles went over in the left-hand corner to make it
17-15.
The speed of the Sale youngsters never seemed to flag and was used again to great effect to run in try number three and restore their lead.
The Tigers didn’t give up and were on the point of regaining the lead through intense forward pressure when the final whistle was blown to give a relieved Sale side victory.
SEDGLEY PARK: De Jager, Roko, Craig, Voortman, Knowles, Jones, Wilkinson, Gazzola, Keys, Evans, Swart, Naulivou, Ponton, Newton, Norris, Roberts, Briers, Thomas, Bennett, Jope, J. Albinson, Livesey |
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