Report on Sale (19) vs Bath (10)

By Flyingshark
December 29 2004

Back to a sort of tradition this year - playing Bath at home just after Christmas. Less traditional is not having it called off because of a frozen pitch. Flyingshark toasts his chestnuts by an open fire for long enough to bring us this report of a chance for quick revenge.

Last night the Sale Sharks ended their miserable three game run of defeats with an overwhelming display of hard-nosed defence, and sublime cutting edge back play.

The tone was set even before kick off with Olly Barkley joining Bath’s lengthening injury list. Along with Mike Tindall, Allex Crockett and Robbie Fleck, a Bath back line so severely depleted was going to mean there was only one way Bath were going to make any inroads into Shark territory. Unfortunately for them they had not reckoned on the one-man wrecking ball we like to call the Sea Bass!

It is always hard to single out a player for special mention because the whole pack yesterday played with the kind of spirit running through a team happy playing together for the first time since autumn internationals. It was forward against forward, mano y mano. The front row demolishing the vaunted Bath scrummage. So much so Bath coach John Connolly had to replace Duncan Bell who just could not resist the mauling Big Ted was giving him. Whilst Humphries could only make his presence felt when going over at rucktime killing the ball, messing about with his contact lenses or, at the lineout, trying to polish the writing off the ball in a way that would make Freddy Flintoff proud. They singularly failed in disrupting our rhythm and although Charlie missed a penalty kick with nothing left on the clock, Mr Lander saw fit to add a full ten minutes of extra time in which we scored a try. Cheers Taffy. Moments later, hysterically, the ref saw fit to penalise us for delaying at a throw in!!!

The opening exchanges were a scrappy affair, rolling mauls being the order of Bath's day. With both sides trying to impose forward domination, the ref found fault with the Sale forwards, constantly finding ever increasingly inventive ways to pin us in our own half. Fortunately Chris Malone must have had one light British sherry too much with his Christmas dinner, as chances went begging that would surely have been taken had Mr Barkley not hurt his back.

As the fizz went out of the Bath attack a classic Sale counter-attack from yet another spilled ball saw Chris Mayor, replacing a blood-binned Stan, pick his skirt up and fly past a flappy attempt at a tackle by stand-in centre Ryan Davis to open our account. 5-0. The deficit was reduced by a Malone penalty but four minutes later the try of the season saw Sea Bass, climbing like Moses up a mountain, knock a ball of the top of a lineout, which Wiggy fired out to Charlie. A beautifully delayed pass to Jos drew the Bath defence on the drift. Having gone wide to the wings for the first 30 minutes the trap was sprung and Cueto, looping in off his right wing, took a wonderful inside pop pass and scythed through a gaping hole to race under the posts. A set piece move executed with precision, pure Sale!!

The heat was on and a sustained period of pressure saw the forwards taking the Bath lads on at their own game. The result was a try for John Carter starting his first full game for the Sharks.

Half time came eventually for a Bath team blowing hard and already missing three of their starting line-up, Lee Mears replacing Johnathan Humphries and Joe Maddock the injured Andy Higgins. It was only a blood replacement but Matt Perry went awol from full back for 10mins as well. With so many comings and goings it was shades of Northampton, as the medics were kept busy… Lander even holding up the game to chastise our physio for attending a downed Jonesy who had replaced Daisy on 50 minutes.

The second half resumed with the wind in our faces. Walshe, at scrum half, who had used his battering rams of Grewcock and Borthwick in the first half, was now passing to Malone who was kicking to the corners for position. A subtle shift in tactics but succeeded in pinning us back in our own half as we were forced to resort to pressure relieving kicks to touch. Yet again, penalties against us were missed as Mr Lander continued to introduce me to new interpretations of the rules, Bath handling errors keeping us in the game. Individual cameos by Sherri, blasting through the middle with half a pack hanging off him, Tam (Jase W) wrapping Frikki Welsh and driving back up-field to win the resulting scrum and Cuets, taking a high ball and, without support, stood-up two chasers, handed them off and got the pass away under enormous pressure, were highlights of the game.

With the Bath lads scenting a sniff,and a penalty already awarded, a speculative cross kick from Malone had Chris Mayor scurrying to make a cover tackle but as the ball was off-loaded to Davis there was no-one home to stop the try. Malone found his range with the conversion.

To groans from the crowd as Charlie missed a penalty under the posts and the score now 19-10, the game was taking on a whole new complexion. It was time for someone to stand up, to get back the momentum. The car crash that is Monsieur Chabal was that man. The sight of Sea Bass taking the ball on a full tilt boogie sends shivers down anyone’s spine, not least the poor tacklers who are meant to stop him. Instantly the team and supporters alike were lifted, chants of “SAAAYYUUUULL,SAAAYYUULL” reverberated around the ground. Schoey and Tam went charging in like wounded rhinos, the ground shuddering as they made their point! Jonesy and Johnny Carter, who by the way, had been tackling everything that moved, all wanted a piece of the action.

Alas it was not to be as the bonus point went begging. The Bath defence had been stretched to the limit but in the end it was the whistle that won. At least we stopped them from getting within 7 of our score and their own bonus point.

The boys could look back on a job well done. A well deserved victory in front of a sell-out home crowd. Some new fans, of whom we hope most will return for the re-match on 21^st Jan. A little rustiness shook out, as some of the boys who had been on the England bench found their feet again. And the promise of new talent found in John Carter. Jos looked like he’d found the vitamin C bottle and Toddy had his best game in a Sale shirt.

Now then…where's my Albania flag?