Saints shot down by superlative Sharks

By Claire Jones
October 17 2004

“That’s five on the bounce isn’t it? What’s gone wrong?” said the taxi driver as DrT and I poured ourselves rather forlornly into his black cab. Both of us were lost for words - how do you describe the fall in form that has hit our beloved team?

But refusing to be too downhearted - after all we did survive the
horrors of the 1994 season, I decided to leave writing my match report
until the beer and curry had been slept off!  Reading the notes this
morning, the statistics are astonishing - there were 21 changes of
players between the two teams (including Bruno’s yellow card).  We
ended up with 14 aside, uncontested scrums and an injury list that
would make your eyes water!

Sale started brightly and within the first couple of minutes had gone
ahead 0-3 after Kempson joined the ruck from the side.  Sale’s forwards
were aggressive in the lose, Chabal making his presence felt from the
off. So after 6 minutes came change number 1, Matt Lord came off worst
in a ruck and was replaced by Damien Browne for a blood injury.  Our
scrum hasn’t been too bad this season but it was creaking badly at the
start yesterday - we were summarily shoved backwards. 8 minutes and we
lost Steve Thompson as a result of a rib injury - change number 2. Dan
Richmond came on and looked a handful.

Sale’s pack continued to be the more streetwise - though how Mr White
missed the deliberate knock-on I’ll never know - Sale were camped in
Saints’ half, not creating a great deal but frustrating the hell out of
our pack. Then irony of ironies, we were pinged for a deliberate
knock-on. 0-6 Hodgson cooly took the penalty from the left touchline.

The next bit I confess I missed cos I was fiddling with my camera!
Either way, Kempson ended up being felled and Bruno sent off for a 10
minute rest- changes number 3 and 4 - with Kempson being replaced by
Robbie Morris.  Shane Drahm converted the penalty - 3-6.

Next scrum was two minutes later - on came Andy Titterell for Chris
Jones - change number 5. The scrum was better but we then proceeded to
trade kicks with opposition - first Reihana to Robinson, who gave it
back to Drahm who kicked the ball the Cueto - get the idea? What’s was
meant to be going on who knows but is was boring to watch and achieved
nothing at all!  But still Saints were being foolish in their own half
and gave away a silly penalty, 5 metres in their own half which Hodgson
wasn’t going to turn down - 3-9. Somewhere in all of this change number
7 happened and Lord came back on!

Sale’s try came from a kick ahead from Cueto - Saints’ cover managed to
get the ball behind the try line and ground it but at the 5 metre
scrum, our scrummaging failed us again and we were pushed over the line
for an Andrew Sheridan try. 3-14. Hodgson converted 3-16. Sorry missed
a change there - Blowers off for a blood injury - Seeley on - change no
7.

40 minutes gone and we had created something - a grubber kick from
Drahm caused Robinson to take the ball into touch, after some good
pressure from Cohen.  We won clean ball at the line-out, Sale
transgressed in front of the posts (offside) and Drahm took the penalty
- 6-16. The crowd were less than impressed with the choice of action
but after the previous week’s trauma at Vicarage Road, I can understand
Krige’s choice.

After 46 minutes, we clearly hadn’t had enough changes so Josh
Taumalolo was replaced by Chris Rhys Jones - Taumalolo having injured a
leg in a tackle. Change no 9.
Half time beckoned - 48 minutes where Saints had created nothing,
kicked masses of possession away, lost two front rows, the pack had
been out thought and largely out fought and the less said of the crash
ball or kick the ball away backs the better- more scratching of heads! 
Uncle Geoff rightly congratulated the Saints with Heart III walkers as
did the board at the North end of the ground.

The second half arrived with Blowers restored - change no 8. We
continued with the kick the ball to Jason Robinson routine - I’ve never
seen him play well at FG and there was no change yesterday - he had so
much ball yet most of the time he offloaded it to his team mates rather
than run. Chabal on the other hand was everywhere - being annoying but
by now not supported that well by Lund and White who were getting
slower at getting to the breakdown. Wasn’t a problem - our pack tended
to be even slower with exception of three of the pack - Smith, Richmond
and Fox.

8 minutes into the second half Morris felt a hamstring go and Seeley
was back on - change no 10. I’ve never seen uncontested scrums in a
Saints game  - though I do remember the Glaws vs Tigs game in the
PowerGen a couple of seasons ago.  So Rugby League style we proceeded
for the rest of the game - stopped us being shoved backwards!

Cross kicks have been a feature our game for the last couple of
season’s but we appear have lost the plot - cross kicking the ball to a
flanker isn’t the idea - Fox did well to get to the ball but was taken
into touch - more of cross kicks later!

Now I don’t what had happened but suddenly from nowhere we started
driving the Sale pack backwards.  Just as we started to dominate, we
were disrupted by Lord and Browne swapping again - new blood injury to
Lord - change no 11. Two minutes later - Titterell was on for Stuart
Turner - change no. 12, 60 seconds later Hercus came on for Moore
change no 13.

Ben Cohen has had a rough time of it lately and he clearly was getting
fed up with the kick trading nonsense and from a Robinson kick, slid
across the turf to pick up the ball and then ran at the space -
reminded me of the Llanelli game last year. The cover unfortunately
appeared but it was a bright moment in a frustrating 30 minutes. Sorry
missed change no 14 - Lord on for Browne.

We had loads of possession but couldn’t use it - our runners were
isolated, the pack by now confused and I’m sure Krige was carrying an
injury but bravely continuing. Mark Tucker came on for Hyndman - change
no 15.  Then Mr White did something which I can only describe as
foolish - on 35 minutes a Sale player was down and being tended to by a
physio - it was as though we were watching a road accident - Stcherbina
could do nothing to avoid crashing into them and the game was stopped.
Two touch judges and a referee had not had the common sense to stop the
match - very poor.

Changes no 15 and 16 - are you following? Browne back on for Lord and
Pete Anglesea for White. Still camped in Sale half we created naff all.
Change no 17 Redpath on for Martens.

Return of the cross kick - low drilled ball from Reihana to errr Cohen
- no, he was being marked by three players so what happens? Yep, Cueto
nicks it and runs the length of the pitch to score - inept and
desperate play from the back line. 6-21, converted by Hodgson 6-23.
Sheridan on for Stewart - change no 18.

Then moments of sheer lunacy from first Cohen who attempted an over
ambitious cross field pass to Drahm is his own 22. Then Rhys Jones who
got nowhere near the ball, crashed into Drahm, knocking himself out and
injuring Drahm in the process. Change no 19 Rhys Jones off but no-one
came on because unsurprisingly, Sale had used all their replacements! 
Drahm was substituted for Ben Patston making his debut at full back for
the Saints.

Then on 46 minutes we did something we should have done all afternoon -
quick ball short to Fox at a 22 drop out and he ran at pace breaking
through, quick ball to Robinson and if hadn’t been for a cynical high
tackle by Redpath we could have been through. Instead, we lost Robinson
who went off for Howard - change no 20. And on 48 minutes we lost the
last of our front rows with Tom Smith going off change no 21 and it was
now 14 aside.

Game ended after 50 minutes - we had played 98 minutes of rugby and at
no stage did we really ever look like scoring.  Walking back from the
APH to the curry house, we were passed a chap who grunted “You lost!” -
says it all really