Sale Sharks 32 Gloucester 9

By Whaley Shark
April 14 2013

 Well, it’s quite a time since I actually looked forward to writing a match report.  I can’t say I was expecting a 5-try walloping of top four contenders Gloucester, but I was delighted to see it.

And for once, we started on the front foot, with Johnny Leota pressurising a defender after we’d stolen the ball from Gloucester on our 22, and kicked it deep into their half. He got his hands to the attempted clearance, the ball bounced kindly and over he went, for 5-0 after less than a minute. Gloucester got off the mark with a penalty a few minutes later but then overdid it, trying to run the ball deep in their own territory. We nicked it, rant through several phases, then kicked the ball through the defence, and Dwayne Pell, this time, was on hand to charge down the kick and claim a try. While 12-3 in less than ten minutes wouldn’t be an unusual scoreline in a Sale match this season, it’s rarely been us who’ve had the 12 points, so this was rather uncharted territory.

After that helter-skelter start, the match settled and, other than an exchange of penalties there was no further scoring until almost the end of the half. Both sides had chances, and Gloucester did look dangerous when they ran the ball out to the flanks. However, we landed a killer blow just before the half time whistle. Gloucester stole the ball as we looked to attack, but threw a forward pass to give us an attacking scrum. Although there didn’t seem to be much on down the narrow side, Dwayne Peel slid a reverse pass to Cameron Shepherd which completely confused the defence and the referee and, after some delay, the TMO gave the try. Going in 22-6 ahead was a new experience for everyone, but one which we seemed to enjoy.

With the half time cake (spiced apple if you’re interested) eaten, the match resumed. We’d clearly developed a taste for scoring tries and exerted huge pressure on Gloucester, camping in their 22 for long periods, but without reward, though the TMO denied Johnny Leota his second try of the night. Gloucester did pull the score back to 22-9 but there was no doubt who had the upper hand. We won a series of penalties in the Gloucester 22, and opted to scrum again three or four times- again a novelty for a side where the pack seems to have struggled so much this season. Finally, the pressure told, and a scrambled Gloucester clearance kick gave us a lineout on their 22, we rumbled a rolling maul into their 22 and, with about 10 metres to go, Dwayne Peel nipped round the fringes, selling a classic dummy to the only defender. 76 minutes played and a try bonus for the second game running. As the clock ran down, and the massed ranks of the New Birtles chanted “We want five!”, Danny Cipriani obliged, with an inch-perfect crossfield chip which Mark Cueto gathered to cross on the left.

I honestly don’t know where to begin- that game was just so different from so many performances we’ve seen this season. I think it was built on a vastly improved forward platform. We competed well at the breakdown, out-scrummaged Gloucester and deployed a very effective rolling maul. That gave Dwayne Peel the chance to fire out quick passes to a well drilled back line (did I see some backs moves?). I think we’ve finally worked out how best to use our forward resources, and Ostrikov’s return has added a much-needed bit of dog. We got on the front foot with those two early tries and that let us play the game on our terms, not Gloucester’s. While there were several contenders for Man of the Match (Ostrikov, Peel, Shepherd among them), the consensus around me was that Johnny Leota deserved the award.

And as for a rather shell-shocked Gloucester, they reminded me of nothing so much as early season Sale. Rocked by going behind, they were incapable of adapting. All the faults which had us tearing our hair out could be seen in Gloucester’s play- knocking on, wild passes, disorganisation grading into panic at times- it was all there and they now, as we for so many months, had no answer. As I write this, Welsh are 24-7 down to Saints with just 20 minutes to play, so they look doomed. While I am sorry for them, if they go, maybe we can play our last two games of the season without the black cloud of relegation hanging over us, and finish the season on a high by walloping Saints and Wasps…..