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Sharks can't afford to lose against Warriors

12/11/2008

SHARKS will return to Premiership action on Friday for the first time in more than a month.

The team will be hoping November proves a more fruitful month than its predecessor, during which Sharks lost five out of six matches and dropped out of the EDF Energy Cup.

A win for Sale against Worcester Warriors on Friday could end that turbulent four-week spell and put Sharks back on top of the Premiership table.

Worcester are currently 11th in the league, having won just once - by a single point at London Wasps.

The last time the two sides met was in February at Edgeley Park, when Worcester won 22-15 thanks to 17 points from the boot of Shane Drahm and a try by Kai Horstmann.

Sharks will be keen to avoid another slip-up. They have already lost three consecutive home matches, one more than the team suffered during the whole of last season.

The refortification of Edgeley Park must be achieved in the absence of several of their key players to international duty or injury.

Dean Schofield said: "The game against Worcester is a very important one in our season, one which we can’t afford to lose.

"We have been unlucky in our last few games, but hopefully our form will be rewarded. Nothing but a win will do and then we can go from there."

For Worcester, prop Chris Horsman looks set for a return to action against Sale after serving a four-week ban for stamping.

However he is likely to be on his best behaviour at Edgeley Park if he has listened to the words of warning from Worcester’s director of rugby Mike Ruddock.

Ruddock told the Birmingham Post: "He knows the severity with which we take his lack of discipline and how it affects his team-mates. It’s up to him where he goes from here, he knows he is at a crossroads."

The tie looks likely to feature two former All Blacks: Sale’s Luke McAlister and Worcester’s Rico Gear.

Both are still available to play for their clubs during the autumn internationals because players working outside New Zealand are not eligible to play for the national side.

This is a blessing for Sharks in particular. McAlister’s metronomic boot means he is now first-choice kicker and his flashes of brilliance from the centre can win a game.