Alex Sanderson: You can’t play loose against an angry team
SALFORD, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Alex Sanderson, the Sale Sharks director of rugby, looks on during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Sale Sharks and Bristol Bears at the AJ Bell Stadium on January 05, 2024 in Salford, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson feared his side would face a Northampton backlash after their defeat to Leicester and he was proved right.
Sanderson’s men were slow out of the blocks and inaccurate as they lost the match before the break.
He said: “You can’t play loose against an angry team and they were obviously really angry after losing that derby last weekend.
“We gave them enough to get their tails up, and when Northampton have their tails up they are the best in the country – and that’s why they’re the champions.
“At half-time when we simplified things and talked about our mentality, we came out and were really competitive again.”
Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson was kicking himself Saints did not score more and admitted they took their foot off the gas.
He said: “We converted pretty much everything in the first half. But we are frustrated from a coaching point of view with the second half. We never really got into a rhythm.”
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