SALE JETS                  44
SEDGLEY TIGERS       24
Pre-season Friendly

UP against a Jets side comprising full-time Academy players bolstered by four first-team Sharks and latest signing Andy Tuilagi, this was always going to be a searching test for the short-handed Tigers.

With just 22 fit players available, the lessons learned rather than the scoreline were what concerned Tim Fourie and the boys.

The Jets took the opportunity to give run outs to first-teamers Brent Cobain, Oriol Ripol (both internationals) Neil Briggs and Will Cliff, while Tuilagi, the former Leicester and Leeds centre/wing and Samoa international, made his Sale debut. On the bench first team prop Stuart Turner was an unused replacement. Young props Danny Birchall and Martin Halsall are well known in Sedgley circles, having both played on loan for the Tigers.

Yet despite the quality of the opposition it was the Tigers who started the stronger, claiming the ball from their own kick-off and working it across the new, impressive Edgeley Park pitch at pace.

They maintained their momentum and after further pressure drew a penalty out of the Jets five metres from their posts. Electing to take the scrum, possession was maintained and the ball was switched left, where flanker Juan Crous crashed over from close range. New skipper Phil Jones was unable to add the conversion but the Tigers nevertheless led 0-5 after nine minutes.

Jets’ fly-half Mark Atkinson cut the deficit to two points with a well struck 13th minute penalty before the Jets then claimed a lead they would not relinquish.

With the ball moved along the backline at speed, Tuilagi showed his power to break the Tigers’ defensive line before slipping a pass to winger Ripol who went over in the right-hand corner. Atkinson missed with the kick but the Jets led 8-5.

They stepped up the pace and began to force gaps in the Tigers’ defence, and on 28 minutes Atkinson’s show-and-go fooled his marker and he trotted in close to the posts. His conversion attempt hit a post but the Jets led 13-5.

The home side’s pace was catching the Tigers out, resulting in missed tackles and once behind the Tigers the Jets were unstoppable.

On 32 minutes they won the ball at the breakdown and spread play wide, creating a three-man overlap as Number 8 Alex Shaw crossed the Tigers’ line with ease to extend his side’s lead to 18-5.

Three minutes before half-time fullback Ed Styles joined the Jets’ attack, cutting through the Tigers’ line to go over, with Atkinson kicking the extras to make it 25-5.

That was improved further right on the half-time whistle, when poor tackling allowed prop Rob O’Donnell to barge over from five metres. Atkinson’s boot ensured the Jets led 32-5 at the half-way stage.

However, if the first half belonged to the home side, the second half was claimed by the Tigers, but not before conceding two further tries within three minutes of the restart.

First Tuilagi showed his power once more, brushing Tigers’ Tongan centre Lisiate Tafa aside to touch down between the posts on 42 minutes, followed a minute later by Spain international Ripol crossing in the right-hand corner.

With Atkinson adding one of the conversions the Jets were 44-5 in front.

But from that point the Tigers regrouped and fought back, showing grit and determination to score three further tries to add a touch of respectability to the scoreline.

Scrum-half Chris Leck showed quick thinking to take a series of tap-and-go penalties which stretched the home defence and sent Jones on his way to the Jets’ posts, where he managed to stretch over the try line in the tackle to touch down on 45 minutes, adding the conversion himself.

On the hour good forward pressure saw prop Petrus Du Plessis held-up over the line. But five minutes later another quickly taken penalty sent Jones on his way to the home posts again, where he once more scored despite being hauled back. He added the conversion himself to make it 44-19.

The longer the game went on the more the Tigers looked like adding further to their score, and a fourth try came from another expansive, lateral passing move that culminated with Number 8 Ollie Cook scoring in the left-hand corner to ensure the Tigers finished the stronger of the two sides. 
 
SALE JETS: Styles, Ripol (Ball 58), Tuilagi (Irlam 46), Kennedy, J.Davies, Atkinson, Cliff (Glynn 70), O'Donnell (Birchall 58), Lawson (Waddingham 64), Halsall (R.Davies 40), Cockbain (Holmes 52), Gaskell, Jones (Chris Davies 58), Briggs, Shaw (C).
Replacements not used: Turner.
Tries: Ripol (17 & 43), Atkinson (28), Shaw (32), Styles (37), O'Donnell (20) and Tuilagi (42).
Conversions: Atkinson (3).
Penalties: Atkinson (1).
 
SEDGLEY TIGERS: Riley, Swatkins (Largan 60), Craig, Tafa (Kohler 71), Wilcock, Jones, Leck, Livesey A (Greenhalgh 52), Roddam (Roberts 52), Du Plessis, Williams (Woods 52), Townson (Fourie 63), Crous (Livesey D 67), Newton, Cook.
Tries: Crous (9), Jones (45 & 66) and Cook (78).
Conversions: Jones 2.