Sale eventually overcome Rotherham

By sue_b's other half
October 18 2003

For a season so far full of banana skins, this game was a potential Bermudan cargo ship load for Sale as they came up against a Rotherham side still trying to find their premiership feet.

This was also a first visit for Sale and fans to Millmoor (more mill than moor), a traditional lower division football ground with wooden seating, friendly people and a size appropriate for Premiership Rugby. A good number of fans had made the cross-Pennine trip, swelling a smallish crowd.

Sale reshuffled the backs, obviously in an attempt to move the ball faster, and that was evident from Chris Jones' dash up the touch from kick-off. Rotherham's forwards attempted to stifle the move, infringed round the sides of the ruck and van Straaten, playing at 13, duly kicked the first points.

The move the ball faster ploy didn't run smoothly for the next 15 minutes. Both teams turned over possession regularly, with Sale trying out a new tactic - drive/kick/run down the wing into the Rotherham 22, recycle to under the posts and then give away the penalty. Personally, I have my doubts, but they did this 4 times in the first half so it can't be an accident ...

Rotherham's attacks were more lateral and generally ran out of space on the wings. However, ex-Shark Anthony Elliot, who had a bright match, chased a kick 50m down the line with Hanley in close company. Hanley kicked the ball out on the 5m line, and though the resulting lineout led to a Sale scrum, Walshe's clearing kick was charged down by Johnson, who just had to drop on it for the first try. Strange converted for a 7-3 lead to the home side.

Van Straaten immediately pegged back 3 points for a penalty at the restart, and Sale turned up the pressure with long periods of possession in the Rotherham half - mostly ending in the "give-away-a-penalty" tactic. Jones looked good sniping around rucks, and Schofield was excellent as a battering ram. The front five were giving the Rotherham pack real problems, but Wigglesworth and Walshe (playing at 10) were finding it difficult to pick the defense breaking pass. Hanley and Going also were proving effective in attack, but the Rotherham scrambling defense held out until just before half time, when a Jones' run down the  left wing created space on the right for Pinkerton to dive over. Van Straaten converted then struck a penalty from a restart infringement to give Sale a 7-14 lead at half time.

The second half was almost completely played out in the Rotherham half. Sale controlled possession much better and at times were camped in the home team's 22. There were times of poor control, but much more evidence of inventive play. A long kick for Cueto in the corner was just kicked out by Benson, the Rotherham fullback, and Hanley was just pushed into touch on the other wing when released by Bond. The wingers, both looking for work, were getting hands on ball at last, and it was Cueto off his wing who finally scored when an overlap was created on the left. It had taken about 20 minutes of the half to break through Rotherham's defense, and the home team valiantly attempted, and mostly succeeded in resisting - even using the rolling maul with a player upside down. (I am not sure how effective it is, but maybe the pair of legs sticking straight up acted as antenna ?)

More of the same followed, while Sale rang the changes - Sheridan came on for Yates, Titterrell for Cairns, Lund for Pinkerton and Mayer for Van Straaten, but only after the latter had converted a try from Bond, bursting the tackles in a straight run onto the South African's pass. The game was up, but a fourth try seemed to evaporate as Rotherham staged an injury time revival, and Walshe's kicking from hand failed to give any advantage. The ball pinged around for a few minutes until Rotherham set up a series of disruptive drives for Cockle to dive over. Strange's conversion made it 14-28, and they could have got their first bonus point if Elliot's fine kick and chase had ended with a try. As it was, Cueto shepherded him into the tackle and the game was over.

A win, more invention in attack, a dominant pack, but overall too many mistakes and getting the speed into the ball-play is still a struggle. However, there were better signs of the wings and full-back getting space to run. Sale are up to fourth (for a day).