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Sale Sharks 22 Gloucester 12

17/ 3/2008

‘THANK-YOU England!’ declared Sharks’ French boss Philippe Saint-Andre after Charlie Hodgson returned to lead his side to victory over league leaders Gloucester.

Hodgson was sent back by Brian Ashton to Edgeley Park, after Danny Cipriani was handed England’s No.10 shirt, and made his presence felt by kicking 17 points to mark the end of back-to-back defeats for Sharks.

The 22-16 win over Gloucester was more comfortable than the modest scoreline suggests, a penalty try and conversion in the dying minutes of the tie handing the Premiership’s top club a scarcely deserved losing bonus point.

Willie Walker gave depleted Gloucester the lead in the sixth minute with a successful penalty.

Hodgson swiftly equalised with a spot kick of his own, and added another to give the home side the lead.

Hodgson missed one penalty in the first half, but Walker was off target with two giving Sharks a 9-6 lead at the break.

Ben Foden, making his first start for the club since recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in December, was a real threat at fullback with timely incisive breaks.

His endeavour paid off in the second half when he sped past Leon Lloyd and over the tryline, delighting the 9,266 strong crowd, who had already witnessed Gloucester fall behind to another penalty and a drop goal for Hodgson.

The conversion gave dominant Sharks an impressive 22-9 lead, against Gloucester whose indiscipline was punished not just by the boot of Hodgson but also the referee, who sent Dan Tuohy to the sin-bin for a line-out infringement just minutes after the second-half began.

Though Walker pulled three points back with a penalty kick, it took a penalty try to put Gloucester within the seven points necessary to earn a losing bonus point.

Sharks were deemed to have spoiled an attacking scrum and Chris Jones was sin-binned, Walker converted.

That mattered little as impressive Sharks won to sturdy their place in the Premiership’s top four.