WANDERERS 5
Guinness ‘A’ League
Heywood Road
Monday, January 14th, 2008
Although the scoreboard operators weren’t troubled in the first half at Heywood Road, the second strings from Sale and Northampton served up some enterprising play that needed both defences to be at their best.
The back divisions were evenly matched thanks to a fair smattering of young talent being a run out. Up front it was a different story as Saints overpowered their opponents at one scrum after another and repeatedly made ground around the fringes.
However in games with plenty of running it is inevitably the backs who catch the eye and this game was no different. For the hosts centre Alex Hurst and wing Nick Royle both made breaks down the right while Wanderers centre Joe Ansbro and scrum-half John Brake combined superbly in a break that ripped through the heart of the Sale defence.
Furthermore, Junior Saints Academy winger Jordan Davies didn’t look fazed by playing with the full timers with one excellent clearance kick and a neat break through the middle.
There was nearly a Sale breakthrough on 25 minutes. Full back Selorm Kuadey caught Ian Vass’s bomb, evaded the chasing Ansbro and Grant Anderson and quickly made 40 metres. This set up good possession and territory in the Northampton half and the Jets twice could have scored. Fly-half Mark Atkinson’s neat chip had plenty of chasers and was defused well, and number 8 David Tait twice had to be stopped close to the Wanderers’ line.
David Smith also forced Kuadey into a good tackle as the Wanderers threatened themselves, and in the last 10 minutes of the half the visitors had several chances to fashion scoring chances with three lineouts on or around the 22. Unfortunately none led to controlled possession, nor did another disruptive scrum that Brake won against the head.
Instead JSA full back Adam Martin had to pull off a superb tackle on Royle to prevent a breakaway try. The visitors also suffered an injury set back when Karl Rudzki stayed down and had to be replaced by Owen Giles. Martin also showed his attacking prowess by collecting a kick at full pace and beginning a move that ended with a Wanderers lineout five metres from the Sale line.
Though Courtney Lawes won it and the pack had several goes at the whitewash the maul was eventually stopped for accidental off-side and the half ended scoreless.
With Ansbro’s replacement by Harry Peck the Wanderers had, Vass excepted, an entirely Academy back line. In the second half’s opening gambits they, and Soane Tonga’uiha and Chris Budgen, made good yards and won a penalty, but Smith missed the game’s first shot at goal.
A good Davies run came within a couple of metres of a try a minute later, but for a Matt Riley last ditch tackle. Tait also had another break in the 50th minute that Brake had to be at his best to stop. Both times the supporting players knocked on and the defending teams were given five metre scrums from which to clear.
While the first 10 minutes of the half belonged to the Wanderers, the hosts were on top for the second. They also had a shot at goal on the hour but Riley’s effort fell short and wide. This in itself should had led to good Wanderers possession in Sale’s 22 thanks to Vass’s clearance being touched by Royle before it went into touch.
Again the lineout went astray and the opportunity was missed. But the next time the Wanderers visited the Sale 22 it was a different story. Royle’s clearance kick was sliced straight to Budgen, who embarked on a typical forthright charge. The pressure was on, phases were worked and Tonga’uiha crashed over in the corner for a try which also marked his last act of the game.
Smith missed the conversion but the Wanderers had the vital score. They also had to be at their best at the other end from the kick-off as Riley went on a mazy run. Kuadey also had a go but he, and Sale, found the power and determination of the Wanderers rearguard too much to break down.
These minutes of pressure proved to be the hosts’ last chance to score as the visitors cleared. And though Vass missed two injury-time drop-goals, one an audacious 55-metre attempt, they kept Sale pinned in their half until the whistle.
Teams:
Sale Jets - Kuadey; Royle, Riley, Hurst (Waywell 53mins (Ball 79mins)), Mulchrone; Atkinson (Tabb 73mins), Cliff; O'Donnell (Birchall 72mins), M Jones (capt), Birchall (Altham 53mins), Day (Gaskell 73mins), Eborall (Dew 62mins), J Jones, Shaw, Tait.
Wanderers - Martin; Davies, Ansbro (Peck 40mins), Anderson, Smith; Vass, Brake; Tonga'uiha (Vickers 67mins), Ward, Budgen, Hoy, Short, Rudzki (Giles 38mins), Lawes, Easter (capt).
Scorers:
Wanderers – Try: Tonga’uiha.
TIMELINE:
HALF-TIME SALE 0 WANDERERS 0
66mins WAND Try Tonga’uiha 0-5
FULL-TIME SALE 0 WANDERERS 5
