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Sale Sharks 9 Worcester 17

Neil Leigh
14/11/2008

SALE Sharks' prolonged bout of home-sickness struck again last night as they blew their bid to regainin top spot in the Guinness Premiership.

 Instead of leap-frogging both Bath and Leicester to pole position, the Sharks instead slumped to their fourth consecutive home defeat... and their sixth defeat in the last seven outings.

 Sale could point to a lengthy list of absentees through international call-ups but the brutal truth is that Worcester didn't need to be anywhere near their best to win with Sale's lack of a cutting edge and high penalty count the cause of their latest downfall.

 Instead, a sole second-half try by Worcester flanker Netani Talei allied to 12 points from the boot of fly-half Matthew Jones were more than enough to counter Charlie Hodgson's three penalties.

The trio of November Guinness Premiership games were always going to test Sale's slender resources with eight top-draw players away on Test duty.

Daunting

 But with daunting-looking fixtures to come at champions Wasps followed by the visit of Leicester in a fortnight, director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre would have been looking at last night's clash as a key opportunity.

 Now, as he reflects on a third consecutive league win at Edgeley Park by Warriors, the Frenchman will need to summon all his motivational powers if he is to arrest the Sharks worrying slump in fortunes.

  Sale's already depleted ranks had been further hit ahead of kick-off by the late withdrawl of New Zealand superstar Luke McAlister through a hamstring strain, with South African Rudi Keil drafted in to replace him.

 Given their lengthy international absences, the Sharks had no option but to field several of the youngsters who had performed so admirably in the EDF Energy Cup.

Bruising

 And the likes of Carl Fearns, Rob O'Donnell and David Tait, who came on as an early replacement for Kiwi knee victim Kristian Ormsby, again stood up manfully to what was a bruising test of nerve and concentration.

 But in what at times often resembled a first-half war of attrition, Sale had to summon up all their defensive know-how to keep out a powerful Worcester pack and fluid back-line.

 Frustratingly, on those occasions when they burst forward, the Sharks were again guilty of fluffing their lines, none more so than on eight minutes when a wild Chris Bell pass to Mark Cueto cost an almost certain try.

 Instead, the scoring was restricted to a brace of penalties apiece from respective fly-halves Charlie Hodgson and Matthew Jones.

 Sale's unforced error count spilled over into the early stages of the second-half and with Warriors' Australian legend Chris Latham increasingly making his class tell, the warning signs were there for the hosts.

 And sure enough, on 52 minutes, it was Worcester who scored the game's first try to at least please the watching Sky audience if not the subdued home fans, flanker Netani Talei taking advantage of a huge overlap to touch down on the left wing.

 It was fortunate for Sale that Jones didn't have his kicking boots on as his fluffed conversions, alongside three missed penalties, allowed Hodgson's 54th minute penalty to narrow the gap to just two points.

Temperament

 But with the game on a knife-edge, Brent Cockbain's notorious temperament again reared its ugly head at the most inopportune moment, a late shoulder charge on Jones, being answered by a penalty to extend Worcester's lead to 14-9.

 And when Jones slotted home another penalty on 71 minutes, the game was well and truly up for the deflated hosts.

 September 26 when Sale last won on home soil now seems a lifetime away and how they respond to this latest setback could well define their season.

 SALE: M Tait; Cueto; Keil; Bell; Doherty; Hodgson; Wigglesworth; O'Donnell; Briggs; Turner; Schofield; Cockbain; Ormsby; Abrahams; Fearns

WORCESTER: Latham; Pennell; Rasmussen; Tuitupou; Banjamin; Jones; Powell; Mullan; Fortey; Taumoepeau; Rawlinson; Gillies; Talei; Sanderson; Horstmann
 
REFEREE: David Rose

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