Sale journey in vain
By The Saracens
November 29 2021
Some games almost defy description, but whilst this one is worthy of description, it is perhaps less worthy of celebration.
Before the game, much was made of the first return to Sarries by Alex Sanderson, for so many years a key man in the Sarries coaching group and the go-to man for in-match comments. Would the old sorcerer work his magic, or is the baton (should that be wand?) passing to the apprentice? In the TV warm-up Alex was emotional about the prospect of his return with his own team, whilst MMc revealed that Alex and he remain close friends and chat regularly. It almost seemed possible that the two coaches might lace up their own boots one last time to lead their teams in person. So much for the Eddie Jones school of coaching, where the atmosphere is based on not caring whether people hate each or like each other.
When the teams were announced, one thing became clear: Sale were expecting an arm-wrestle, and their pack was to be packed with size. Alex wanted physicality on the right side of legality. I could not quite calculate how much poundage of South African beef would be turning out for the visitors, but it would be considerable.
BT pitch-side team of Austin Healey, who still cannot bother to learn to pronounce Alex Goode’s name right, Ben Kay and Sarra Elgan were in sharp form. Sarra correctly identified Austin and Ben as costume doubles for the burglars in Home Alone, and was corpsed by Ben’s reply suggestion that she had come dressed in a doormat. They are always worth their airtime.
The game itself would be played in chilly, overcast and not-too windy conditions. Sale Sharks would have to overcome the memory of never having won at Sarries, of having lost every away game thus far in this campaign. Sarries, at least, have had the opportunity of putting behind themselves an indifferent home performance against London Irish in their last premiership outing.
The game began strangely. Sale were so desperate to begin strongly that they had given away their first penalty in 17 seconds, their second in two minutes. Between the second and third, seventh minute, penalties, they worked the ball wide to the right three times, and three times the last Sale receiver met a thunderous tackle by Rotimi Segun. Only recently, it has been a custom to call some tackles dominant and some as less so. These three were dominant, Sale attacks shuddering to a halt each time. Two penalties, on 16 and 17 minutes gave Sarries field position. Alex Goode’s first penalty, well up-field, was a dead-eyed long kick to the five metre line, where some inexact execution was matched by inexact defence, leading to the second of the pair. The latter was less exact, only making the seven-metre mark. However, a first drive, re-set and second drive, worked round inside, splintered the Sale defence and gave Vincent Koch a drive-over try. Was that really only his fifth try in a Sarries’ shirt?
Sale took the re-start, a shortish, high-hanging kick, which Sale took comfortably, only for the move upfield to shudder to a halt again, as Rotimi drove low and fast into the runner’s waist. In the ensuing melée, Sale captain Jonno Ross seemed to collide his head with one of his own players, and he went off for an HIA, not to return. A Curry twin coming on early was no poor exchange of player.
By 29 minutes, Sale had yielded their sixth and seventh penalties. One might be called a set-piece pwnalty, although the whistle was actually blown for holding on after the ball had got as far as the first receiver. All the others were in open play.
On 31 minutes, Sale had a shot at goal following Sarries first yielding a penalty. MacGinty’s was just outside his range, won the cross-bar challenge and was safely handled.
An exchange of penalties now followed. Sale could not profit from theirs, but Sarries had an easy three pointer on 39 minutes, to finish the half at 13-0.
Sale begin the second half in lively manner, and for several minutes press the Sarries line. Hooker Ethan Lewis gives a mindless penalty for a late tush on Sale 9 Quirke, having a good game. Sean Maitland is under scrutiny for a tackle offence in the corner, giving a penalty to Sale. From the ensuing line-out, desperate attack meets desperate defence. An untidy effort to score ends with a pile of bodies. Nick Tompkins gets up, seems to rile Byron McGuigan. The latter reacts violently, taking Nick in a upper-body hold, throwing him to the ground, where he seems to renew his attack. It is horribly obvious that the Sale player has utterly lost control of his actions, and he throws Nick a second time, into the advertising hoardings. McGuigan will be having an extended Christmas break this year.
Billy is having a big game, in attack and defence. As we are still digesting the recent outburst, a fast break up-field gives some attacking options. A ruck in the middle of the field, at about 25 metres our from the Sale line, gives Billy a bit of a run, which he uses to get past the bunched Sale defence. Nick Isiekwe is on his shoulder, but Billy fakes a pass to him before a 20-metre pass, whilst still at speed, gives Sean the easiest of run-ins for a first score of this half. The conversion drifts off left, Alex Lozowski’s first miss, and we are at 18-0. Kelly Brown seems to be Sarries go-to man for pitch-side thoughts since Alex Sanderson went north, and he dismisses any suggestion that Sale are out of this game.
Kelly’s caution is justified. Sarries see a scintillating break-out from their own 5-metre line when Alx Lozowski intercepts a loose pass, and is supported by Max Malins who takes Sarries well into Sale territory. Sale take control of the ensuing scrum for Max’as knock-on, and a surge up the right wing disrupts Sarries’ defence for Ben Curry to score under the posts. 18-7 and Sale tails are slightly lifted.
On the restart, Sale press hard and earn a penalty about 12 metres out from Sarrie’s line. As Sarries re-set, rather leisurely in my view, Sale 9, Quirke, a lively game from him, taps and goes. Fortunate that no Sarries player reacts, there would have been a penalty try, but most have their backs turned. More fortunate that Max, behind the goal-line, sees Quirke’s move, and accelerates fast to tackle Quirke before any momentum can build. Without that reaction, Sale would be another seven points closer.
Shortly after, Sarries are back pressing the Sale try-line. Multiple short-range driving efforts come to nothing, but replacement 9, Ivan van Zyl, gets a pass to Alex Goode, who makes to break to his left, drawing Sale defenders. Alex spins on his heel, and facing his own try-lie, is able to pass to Max Malins, coming in on a cross-grain run, for an easy try. Most watchers are still wondering what Alex Goode will do next, the pass having been so late and deft.
At 25-7 with eight minutes to go, Sarries might have hoped for a fourth try, but instead lose control of a Sale break up the middle of the pitch, ending with Quirke’s scoring a deserved try. The game ends at 25-14.
Sarries have won, move into second place, being the only home side to win this weekend. It seems to be a strangely unsatisfactory result. Yet again, they seem to lose purpose when facing 14 men, and actually score fewer points than their opponents during the 35 minutes of numerical superiority. Their record against 14 men this season is not impressive. Billy later suggests an easing of the foot off the pedal. MMc suggests similar.
Vincent Koch is named player of the match. Interesting, that of all the South Africans on the pitch today he seems to have delivered by some margin the most effective display. He has dismantled the Sale scrum several times, has been powerful in attack, impressed in defence and retained total focus on legality at all times. I am not sure how the hooker pecking order at Sarries stands right now, but many clubs would welcome our two today, as indeed our replacement front row. Alex Clarey grows in stature as a player with every appearance: Richard Barrington and he can match many a first-choice prop in set-piece and loose.
We are blessed with backs, from our scrum-halves to full-backs. If one is not stellar on the day, others will be shining. There is cover, people forcing their way in to the starting XV every week, giving the coaches options, in style of play, ability to develop game patterns and options.
All in all, to sum up this weekend, mis-quoting George Orwell, Four points good, five points would have been better.
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Saracens (13) 25 |
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Tries: Koch, Maitland, Malins Cons: Lozowski 2 Pens: Lozowksi 2 |
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Sale (0) 14 |
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Tries: B Curry, Quirke Cons: MacGinty 2 |
Saracens: Malins; Maitland, Lozowski, Tompkins, Segun; Goode (co-capt), Davies; Mako Vunipola, Lewis, Koch, Itoje, Swinson, Isiekwe, Wray (co-capt), B Vunipola,
Replacements: Pifeleti, Barrington, Clarey, McFarland, Earl, Van Zyl, Morris, Lewington.
Sale: Hammersley; McGuigan, S James, van Rensburg, Roebuck; MacGinty, Quirke; Rodd, Van der Merwe, Schonert, JL Du Preez, De Jager, Ross (capt), B Curry, D Du Preez.
Replacements: Ashman, Harrison, Oosthuizen, JP Du Preez, T Curry, Warr, R Du Preez, L James.
Sent off: McGuigan (46).
Referee: Thomas Foley (RFU).
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:12:15:16:28:53 by Darraghgirl.
"Hooker Ethan Lewis gives a mindless penalty for a late tush on Sale 9 Quirke"
Do we think he gave him the bums rush? I actually thought it was a touch harsh. Quirke basically ran into him and Lewis instinctively pushed him away but that may be my black and red specs! I was very impressed by Lewis and think he's doing well. Worth noting that our jumpers both Nick and Maro rescued some slightly wayward ball so a good outing for the lineout unit as a whole. With Woolstencroft also offering a lot the most important thing is consistency at set piece for our hookers I think.
Two quick edit notes, Tompkins rather than Malins was the object of McGuigans ire. Also Clarey (think Julian if you're of an age to get the reference) with regards of our prop Alex
Innings
Points win matches: tries win hearts and minds.
Tom Foley was consulted and opined that it was legal but had to be executed precisely.
Does anyone know what this is? It might come in handy at Sandy Park!
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
I'll let someone who understands it better explain it, but the purpose was to put more pressure on the scrum half clearing the ball.
I expect that Tony Rowe and Rob Baxter will spend this week complaining about it and working out what to do, and we won't bother using it again.
Successful hills are here to stay
Everything must be this way
Gentle streets where people play
Welcome to the Soft Parade
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For those that didn't see, imagine the defensive team also forming a short caterpillar ruck. Anyone bound to that ruck isn't affected by the offside line set by that ruck. So it allows the caterpillar to 'swing' out to one side, meaning the player at the end of the caterpillar can pretty much be alongside the middle of the ruck rather than attempting a charge down from behind the base, allowing for more pressure on the 9.
I'm sure that's still not a great explanation. Here's a tweet showing examples of it happening this weekend
The Saracens Crab
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
But what they can do as I think one of the last examples in that tweet showed, is once they cottoned on they just positioned a blocker a bit tighter to the ruck so that our route to the 9 was less clear.
Quote:Barty II
Struggling with that one a little myself but I suppose Sale's players would still have to enter the ruck 'through the gate' so would be hard to do with momentum.
But what they can do as I think one of the last examples in that tweet showed, is once they cottoned on they just positioned a blocker a bit tighter to the ruck so that our route to the 9 was less clear.
I guess that if by coming through the gate, it broke the bind of the 'crabs' onto the ruck then the crabs would have to start all over again and rejoin through their own gate. Whatever, it was a clever tactic but I hope it doesn't catch on!
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
Innings
Points win matches: tries win hearts and minds.
Pearce would have pointed out that it would be legal provided ruck regulations were followed
Quote:OldMarovian
Understandably the times are not indelibly etched in my mind and sorry but I don't wan to watch the game again to find them.
Let us spare a thought for the poor analyst who has to watch and rewatch the game! Merry Christmas whoever you are!
Successful hills are here to stay
Everything must be this way
Gentle streets where people play
Welcome to the Soft Parade
π»π»π»