Oct 06 London Irish v Sale

The Holy grail that is the bonus point



Something must have happened at Carrington this week. I’m not sure what it was but I’d have loved to be a fly on the wall when it did. Anyway, whatever it may have been, I’m glad it did. Sale Sharks took to the field and had the look of predators once again. There may have been glimpses of the old Sale in recent weeks, flashes of aggressive running rugby like the game in Biarritz or the first twenty minutes or so of the game against Worcester Warriors, but this has been the exception rather than the rule. As a fan it seems to me that the Sharks have played with a lack of confidence and conviction in their own abilities; ‘stuttering’ rugby I suppose you could call it, played by a team that hasn’t been firing on all cylinders. Well, I’m happy to report that the ‘belief’ and swagger are back and I, for one, am truly relieved.

Talking to several ‘Oirish’ fans in the North Stand Bar after the game; it appears that they have been experiencing a similar blip in form. The consensus amongst them was that their team, much like most of the home support, hadn’t shown up. I take the opposite view. London Irish did show up but were taken apart by a superior side that played with confidence, passion, aggression and belief. (Yes, it’s that word again.) Sale dominated from the off, bossing the scrum and controlling the three quarters. Our back line once again looked purposeful and hungry. When we play to our capabilities we are a match for any team.

In the end we won at a canter, in fact, during the second half we took our foot off the pedal. It was a total team performance and very welcome too, considering the impending start of the Heineken Cup next weekend. It’s always difficult to single out any one particular player for special mention, particularly when all gave a good account of themselves. It was good to have Dean Schofield back in the second/donkey row. We’ve definitely missed his presence and physicality over the last few weeks. Magnus Lund and Jason White as ever were superb, always in the right place at the right time, securing and turning over opposition ball. For me though, the man of the match yet again, was Juan Martine Fernandez Lobbe. (Corcho, to you and me from now on) He plays with passion, commitment, aggression and flair. He brings a different quality to our forward play. It’s true he’s no Chabal, but then again who could be. Corcho plays intelligent rugby with his head up and reads the game superbly. I can sense another Sale legend in the making.

As so, to the Heineken Cup, European rugby at its best. It’s my favourite time of year, thoughts of distant travel and exotic foods. So, where are we off to first them? Southern France, Ireland or Italy maybe? No, oh well, there’s always Swansea