Thrown to the Sharks

By BrianC
October 6 2004

Our victory last Sunday may not have been pretty but it was convincing enough for us to feel we stand a chance of being more than relegation fodder this season.

The task facing us this Friday night at Sale is, on paper at least, a much more onerous one than that we faced last weekend. Sale are currently on a club record of five straight Zurich Premiership wins and are currently top of the table. Amongst the scalps they have claimed so far this season are the team currently just behind them in the table, Leicester and Wasps, both of whom have already beaten us. To make matters worse we now have an injury crisis, four of our key players are long term injured.

So do we stand a chance? The short answer is yes. The Premiership has already shown this season that any team can, on it's day, beat another. Sale themselves only managed a narrow victory at Leeds last weekend. Sooner or later they will trip up. Let's hope it is this Friday.

Last season we managed to beat Sale twice although neither victory could be described as comfortable. In October we won what was a televised match 26 - 28 thanks to a last minute Barry drop goal. The subsequent 9 - 3 victory at the Madjeski last November was our last Zurich Premiership win at home prior to last weekend.

So what is it that Sale have got so right thus far? Stability appears to be the key. Whilst, like all clubs, they made a number of summer signings this is essentially the same core squad, Jason Robinson et all, that Sale have had for the past couple of seasons. It appears that coach Phillipe Saint-Andre has now got the team to gel better than at any previous stage. Based on their early performances this season they look sure to be in the title hunt come April.

A stiff task lays ahead of us for sure. I do not expect us to win this one, indeed if we come away with a bonus point I will be happy. A victory, should we manage one, will be by some way our best result of the season thus far.