WANDERERS 43

SALE JETS 39

Guinness 'A' League

Franklin's Gardens

Monday, March 20, 2006

The 80-point spectacular that secured second place in the 'A' League Northern Conference was started in only the third minute by Ben Patston's penalty, and it only took five more minutes for the first of the game's 12 tries as Adam Barnard and James Pritchard combined to put Garth Fowler over.

Sale's first serious attack came in the 19th minute, orchestrated by Jason Duffy and Matt Reilly. It broke down thanks to powerful Northampton tackling from, amongst others, Mark Hopley. The ball eventually went forward on the Wanderers' 22, presenting the hosts with the opportunity to score the try of the half.

Mark Easter broke off the base of the scrum, made 20 metres and found Hopley, who swerved and jinked his way to just outside Sale's 22. And who else was in support once more but Fowler, who dotted down between the sticks. And when Ben Lloyd's 22nd-minute yellow card was compounded two minutes later by Ben Jones's try - again converted by Patston - the Northampton outfit looked well on their way to a healthy victory.

The Jets had other ideas, pulling back 15 points before halftime. Leigh McCormick's break - created by Duffy's flat pass on halfway - was only ended by a desperate Pritchard tackle. Nevertheless, the ball was retained quickly and worked to the opposite wing for Joe Knowles to touch down. Adam Newton converted and - showing that his sixth-minute miss had been put well behind him - added a penalty just past the half-hour.

Nevertheless, only desperate defence prevented Wanderers from accruing the bonus point before the break as Dom Wareing and Bradley Hever-George were bundled into touch a couple of metres shy of the line - the latter chance coming from more lovely interplay between the Wanderers' back-row.

Instead it was Sale who scored in injury-time, Duffy powering his way over. A thundering run six minutes after the break created the game's next try for Dom Wareing that won the bonus point; Pritchard adding the extras. And there was another to add to the power files five minutes later when Sean Cox crashed over from 15 metres, bringing the score to 29-20.

The 1,020-strong crowd were treated to a try apiece for each side before the hour. Mike Hills was sent over by Knowles's slick offload, answered in kind by Tom Powell, at the bottom of a Northampton driving maul. Pritchard converted, and added a try - and another conversion - of his own for good measure, grubbering through the Sale defence. And the points-fest continued amid a flood of replacements with Cox's second powerful effort for the visitors, converted from the touchline by Newton to bring the score to 43-34. Simon Davidson ensured that the visitors had the last word in an entertaining match, and a second point, but the result belonged to the Wanderers.

Teams:
Wanderers - Pritchard; Wareing, Fowler (Clair 71mins), Barnard, Maggs (Hever-George 29mins); Patston, Jones; Laws, Richmond (capt)(Grove 40mins), Noon (Beech 50mins), Powell (Burke 71mins), Rae, Hopley, Soden, Easter (Pitfield 40mins).

Sale Jets - Burgess (Davidson 67mins); Knowles, Reilly (Briggs 79mins), Parrott (Roberts 72mins), McCormick (Noam 40mins); Duffy, Leck; Roberts (Jones 67mins), Briggs (Mantell 67mins), Halsall, Eberoll, Cox (capt), Lloyd, Newton, Tait (Hills 40mins).

Scorers:
Wanderers - Tries: Fowler (2), Jones, Wareing, Powell, Pritchard; Cons: Patston (2), Pritchard (3); Pen: Patston.

Sale Jets - Tries: Knowles, Duffy, Cox (2), Hills, Davidson; Cons: Newton (3); Pen: Newton.

Yellow card:
Lloyd (22mins)

Attendance:
1,020

CLOCKWATCH:
3mins Wand: Pen Patston 3-0
8mins Wand: Try Fowler 8-0
20mins Wand: Try Fowler Con Patston 15-0
22mins Sale: Yellow card Lloyd
24mins Wand: Try Jones Con Patston 22-0
27mins Sale: Try Knowles Con Newton 22-7
31mins Sale: Pen Newton 22-10
40+2mins Sale: Try Duffy 22-15
H-T: Wanderers 22-15 Sale Jets
46mins Wand: Try Wareing Con Pritchard 29-15
52mins Sale: Try Cox 29-20
57mins Sale: Try Jones Con Newton 29-27
60mins Wand: Try Powell Con Pritchard 36-27
66mins Wand: Try and Con Pritchard 43-27
72mins Sale: Try Cox Con Newton 43-34
83mins Sale: Try Davidson 43-39