By Tom Jeffreys
Tries: Roebuck 6, O’Flaherty 12, Caine 38
Cons: R Du Preez 7
Pens: R Du Preez 36
Northampton Saints………………15
Tries: Freeman 4, Ramm 75
Cons: Smith 5
Pens: Smith 27
Last year’s runners up Sale Sharks continued their league-leading defensive form to win their fourth opening fixture in a row against a muted Northampton Saints side.
A fast-paced first half, in which 30 of the match’s 35 points were scored, preceded a largely forgettable second half as last season’s best defenders came out on top against its best attackers
Defending a five point lead in the dying stages, Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson called the nervy finish “brutally stressful”, but can be proud of the resilience a 14-man line showed to secure the 20-15 victory, with his characteristically uncompromising demands manifest towards the end:
“It’s a game of inches. Every collision, if you make a foot on each and every collision, you’re inching your way toward the line, so they’ve just got to win them all, even if it’s 20 or 30.
“That’s what you want to see, backs to the wall, nose to the grindstone, proper, Northern, grit.”
The AJ Bell saw the game start at an electric pace, with Saints scrum half Tom James taking a quick tap to release Tommy Freeman down the right flank.
The England winger finished acrobatically, and a touchline conversion from Finn Smith gave Saints a 7-0 lead.
Sale responded in equally rapid fashion with Raffi Quirke releasing Joe Carpenter into the Saints 22. The next phase, fly half Rob Du Preez, threw a sumptuous miss pass to Tom Roebuck who produced an equally skilful finish. Du Preez’s conversion was good.
The game continued at a breathless pace as Sale set up a tidy maul down the right flank of Northampton’s 22. Clean ball allowed an eye-pleasing backs move to exploit Saints’ drift defence and give Tom O’Flaherty more than enough space to touch down and make the score 12-7.
Upon this score the game finally slowed down as Sale’s defence continued last year’s exemplary form to mute Saints’ attack.
Their insistent linespeed did open the possibility for ill discipline but Smith was only able to convert one of the two penalties presented to him. Ten minutes later, however, Du Preez responded with a penalty of his own.
Subverting the kicking tactics that defined their attack last year, Sale ran out of their 22 and a penalty allowed them to kick to the corner. Another tidy maul followed, allowing substitute hooker Ethan Caine to touchdown shortly before half-time to make the scores 20-10.
With a ten point lead, the second half was characterised by well-recovered kicks and ill-disciplined set piece. Several scrum and lineout platforms in opposition 22s were squandered and the game was perhaps defined by the early introduction of Gus Warr at the 50th minute mark.
No player kicked more than him last season, and his variation of box kicks repeatedly pinned Saints into their own 22m.
One such kick led to an attacking line out for the Sharks who worked the ball out wide to Roebuck. The winger grubbered through nicely and O’Flaherty gathered well to attack the line.
Left winger James Ramm, however, scampered across to bundle him into touch and from the following line out, Saints boxed clear.
Ramm chased the kick from his own try line with vigour and knocked the ball down to Alex Coles who drew a 2-on-1 and returned the ball to Ramm to give him a laboured sprint home from 50m out, the 25-year-old looking out on his feet having saved a try then gone the length of the field.
His 75th minute effort, whilst unconverted, sparked life into a flat Saints side who had victory in their cross hares. Sale’s eager defence leaked penalties but Smith was unable to kick within five metres of the try line. Having to go through the phases rather than maul over, Saints struggled to make a breach despite a yellow card to Rob Du Preez.
Eventually, Josh Beaumont forced Saints support players off their feet at the ruck to turn the ball over and win the game in dramatic fashion.
Sale’s half-time lead was game defining and well deserved, with the home side exhibiting their off-season refinement on their attack. However, man of the match and captain Du Preez echoed Sanderson in his pride of Sale’s typical defensive prowess:
“That first half we had 80% conversion when we were in the 22,” he said. “But the resilience we’ve shown, that’s something we hang our hat on, when we do go down a man or our backs are against the wall, the way we pull tight, just really proud of the team today.”
Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, S James, Bedlow, O’Flaherty; R du Preez (capt), Quirke; McIntyre, Taylor, Schonert, van Rhyn, Hill, JL du Preez, Dugdale, D du Preez
Replacements: Caine, Harrison, Harper, Wiese, Beaumont, Warr, Curtis, Reed
Northampton: Hendry; Freeman, Dingwall (capt), Hutchinson, Ramm; F Smith, T James; E Waller, Langdon, Davison, Moon, Coles, Scott-Young, Pearson, Graham
Replacements: R Smith, A Waller, Millar Mills, Lockett, Munga, McParland, Grayson, Seabrook
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