Dec 06 Sale v Stade Francais

Anything you can do!

As I trudged through the gates of Edgeley Park yesterday, I was overcome by a strange feeling of unease. I certainly wasn’t worried about the match because I always felt we were capable of beating them on our own turf. So why did I feel so nervy and anxious? Well, last week, in a moment of over-exuberant and ridiculous boasting, possibly caused by drink, I’d promised the visiting Stade Francais fans a weekend to remember. I told them they would rave about Stockport as much as I did Paris. Obviously, the statement was made with my tongue stuffed firmly in my cheek. Only later did it occur to me that perhaps the French perception of irony might differ slightly from the British. Still, anything you can do, we can do, well, differently. Yes, you may well have the Seine, the Parc des Princes, the architecture, the history, the art and the CanCan girls, but we’ve got Edgeley Park, the Ship Canal, the Hat Museum and ‘Independance.’ No contest then! I needn’t have worried though, for as it turned out it didn’t really matter. They all seemed to have enjoyed the match and were overjoyed with the losing bonus point. Perhaps the look of shell-shock and bemusement on their faces when we all sat down to eat later that night was purely down to jetlag, not the alternative cultural experience.

Opinions after the match were split, as is invariably the case when Sale Sharks play. Some were full of praise for the show of defensive cohesion and passionate commitment, others derisive of the conservatism of the game-plan and lack of ambition in the backs. Whilst I can understand the frustration at our unwillingness to throw the ball about and kick for the corners, I feel equally frustrated by the criticisms. You can’t play champagne rugby on a brown ale pitch. I thought the Sharks were magnificent, showing grit, determination and a belief in their own ability to classed as one of Europe’s big boys. To put it into some sort of perspective, we beat possibly the best, and certainly the richest, team in European rugby with half our team missing! Could we as supporters ever have thought that possible two seasons ago? It might not have been pretty to watch, but it was what was required – aggressive, bristling, defensive rugby, played in conditions suitable only for ducks and anglers. No one typified this ‘over my dead body’ attitude more than Seabass. His ability to carry the ball over and through both backs and forwards is astonishing. He must be hewn from granite. He makes those hard yards and inspires others around him to do likewise. Dean Schofield, Maggy, Titts and Jonesy all followed suit, taking up the baton laid down by Seabass. There are those who would criticise Chabal, though not to his face, claiming that he doesn’t do this week in, week out and that he is sometimes slow to rejoin play. Well, if you put your body through the type of punishment he does, then it’s actually amazing that he manages to get back up at all. He is undoubtedly talismanic and on his best days, one of world rugby’s superstars. It’s just a shame that Bernard Laporte is probably going to deprive us of his services.

There is still a faint mathematical possibility that we could just about scrape into the quarter-finals of this year’s competition, but that relies too heavily on too many imponderables, like the fortunes of some and the misfortunes of others. Personally, I feel our fate was sealed in the last two minutes of injury time in Swansea, when we showed our naivety at this level of competition. We should have killed the game, taken the penalty and possible red card, but limited the damage to three points. It might not be the Corinthian thing to do and is certainly not within the laws of the game, but sometimes professional infringements are a necessary evil on the road to victory. All of the’ wisest’ and most successful teams do it. I accept that it might not be exactly honourable, but then again, when did the Corinthians last win the Heineken Cup?