SALE SHARKS 36

Guinness Premiership round 22

Saturday, May 6, 2006

For nearly 50 minutes the game had looked like one of those days for the Saints. Sale had built up a comfortable 23-point lead and won a bonus point, while the home side looked at sixes and sevens. The ball was resolutely not sticking in the hand, and Sale's pack were well on top in the tight and loose.

But then as the Sharks took their foot off the gas, Carlos Spencer took over and in six minutes of madness Saints had brought the match back to within touching distance. But more of that later…

Sticking the ball up their jumper nearly worked for Sale within the first five minutes. Charlie Hodgson pushed two successive penalties into the corner, and repeatedly the visitors' pack came close to scoring. But a reset five-metre scrum saw the ball spun wide, Jason Robinson knocked the ball on and Saints were let off. And when Oriol Ripol had his way cleared for him by the posts, Sale's forwards would have been forgiven had they not given their backs the ball again.

Saints' forwards meanwhile did not have that problem. Instead they had Spencer. How he spied space on his own line only he could tell you, but in an instant he had eluded several tackles on his way over the halfway line. Robinson's hurried kick was returned with interest by Bruce Reihana, and when Sale infringed, Reihana gave Saints a 14th-minute lead.

Spencer's next act was a brilliantly disguised cross-field kick to Jon Clarke, and for a minute the former All Black looked on a mission. But Sale had come to town clearly to play the power game, and in the 23rd minute the pack finally obliged. On top in the scrum, they forced a penalty, again kicked to the corner. The drive went over, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe touched down, and with Hodgson's conversion Sale were seven points to three up.

The power gave way to running four minutes later as, from Paul Tupai's turnover, Ben Foden's sheer pace took him through the Saints defence on his way to a well-taken try. A rare Saints chance followed on the half-hour when John Rudd flattened Robinson and stripped him of the ball. But Rudd himself spilled the ball while being tackled, and within a minute Sale were seven points further in front.

Being flattened obviously did not affect Robinson too much as in the next play he sent Steve Hanley over with a questionable pass. Combined with a knock-on in a ruck that set up the move Saints' fans were understandably disappointed. Equally as disappointed was Reihana four minutes before the break when he knocked on Spencer's pass under pressure near Sale's line, leaving the half-time score remaining at 3-19.

Saints opened the second half with a bang, with Clarke's run that bisected the Sale defence perfectly. However, he cut inside away from the support, and when Valentin Courrent crossed in Sale's next attack it looked like Saints' season would end in a damp squib.

Then the game came alive for the Northampton team and fans alike. Disrupted by a flurry of replacements and with a win looking in the bag Sale could be accused of taking their foot off the gas. This might have been so, but equally true is that, with a vastly increased amount of possession, Spencer went to work.

The Sale defence were utterly unable to deal with his jinking runs and visionary passing. In the first half he had showed flashes of what could come, but in the 52nd minute he scored a try that took all at the Gardens completely by surprise. Then in the 55th his attempted vaulting of Robinson brought a yellow card for the Sale full-back, and a penalty from which Reihana - who converted both tries - scored in the left corner. Daniel Browne's 58th minute try and David Quinlan's 68th minute five-pointer (his first for the club) completed the comeback and Saints had the lead by a point.

Then Sale steadied the ship. Courrent took their first penalty attempt, with which he succeeded, and then Ripol reminded his former club of his twinkle toes as he scored a delightful try. Courrent converted, but there was still time for one last home push.

Ben Cohen, who hitherto had been busy but not seriously threatening, was put over for his 15th try of the season. Reihana's third conversion pulled Saints back to within two, and in the last minute Saints' co-captain lined up a penalty. The fans fell silent. The boot hit the ball and many of the sell-out crowd thought it was over. But the attempt fell short and Saints were denied one last comeback of 2005/06.

Still, there's always the Heineken Cup next year…

Teams:
Northampton Saints - Reihana (cc); Rudd (Lamont 56mins), Clarke, Quinlan, Cohen; Spencer, Howard (Robinson 49mins); Smith (Sturgess 78mins), Thompson (cc), Emms (Grove 75mins), Damien Browne (Gerard 36-40mins), Lord (Gerard 52mins), Tupai (Fox 51mins), Harding, Daniel Browne.

Sale Sharks - Robinson; Ripol, Cueto, Mayor (Riley 56mins), Hanley; Hodgson (Courrent 40mins), Foden; Fuare (Roberts 52mins), Titterrell (Jones 13-23mins, 40mins), Stewart (Wigglesworth 74mins), Lobbe, Day, White (capt)(Hills 40mins), Jones (Lloyd 52mins), Chabal.

Scorers:
Northampton Saints - Tries: Spencer, Reihana, Daniel Browne, Quinlan, Cohen; Cons: Reihana (3); Pen: Reihana.

Sale Sharks - Tries: Lobbe, Foden, Hanley, Courrent, Ripol; Cons: Hodgson (2), Courrent (2); Pen: Courrent.

Yellow card:
Robinson (55mins)

Attendance:
13,577

Travis Perkins man of the match:
Carlos Spencer