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Sale 28 Saracens 22 – The Verdict

By Paul Morgan, editor of Rugby World Magazine
What a difference a new man at the helm can make! The result reads in the papers: Sale 28 Saracens 22 but read this as Pete Anglesea: 4 points!
Now I’m not saying Pete is a miracle worker and Sale will now go on to qualify for the Heineken Cup and conquer the world if Sale owner Brian Kennedy gives him the job full-time. But today’s victory over Saracens was all about desire, all about commitment and all about Sale out-muscling Saracens.
From the moment I arrived at Edgeley Park for this game it was clear we were in a new era, the first match with Anglesea in charge, after Mike Brewer was sacked. It was a great day to make the trip to Stockport – a great rugby day for the North-West.
They love Big Red at Sale and it shows.
A big crowd (more than 8,000), the New Year and the prospect of Gavin Henson obviously helped, but somehow Sale managed to create the start of a new era today and on the pitch it manifested into them tearing out of the blocks and scoring three tries in the first 30 minutes, against a side that is capable of winning the title.
It all came from their physicality at the breakdown and general commitment to the cause. It looked like Sale hadn’t turned up, but that wouldn’t be giving Sale enough credit. They were like Tasmanian Devils in the first half an hour!
Obviously having Charlie Hodgson back in the side controlling the game helped but it was the physicality of players like James Gaskell, Carl Fearns, Sisi Koyamaibole and Karena Wihongi that rattled Saracens. And bizarrely Brendan Venter’s side had no answer – very worrying for them!
Dwayne Peel was also in great form at the base of the scrum, hassling and harrying and using quick service to keep Sale going.
Who cares that they didn’t score a point for the final 50 minutes? Certainly the vast majority of the crowd at Edgeley Park didn’t as the four points was everything.
Those four points took Sale eight points clear of Newcastle and 11 clear of Leeds, which I believe puts them in a position to survive.

Friday night kick offs: Have 7.45pm kick offs on a Friday night run their course? What do fans think? Time to move to Saturday afternoon? Or even Sunday afternoon?

James Gaskell: Are you Tom Croft in disguise? This guy does everything Croft does, and almost as well. He was the clear man of the match and played so well than a number of Saracens players took shots at him – he annoyed them that much. After a year of injuries he needs ten games under his belt but when he does don’t rule him out of the World Cup. He’ll play for England – it is when not if.
Meet Gaskell, he’s definitely one to watch:

Charlie Hodgson – Message to Sale. Find out what salary he wants for the next three years and within reason pay him it. Don’t let him do a Cristiano Ronaldo and leave a big side in the North-West. You won’t be able to replace him, trust me!

Gavin Henson – Well it’s simple. The guy is not at outside centre so why play him there? Saracens have bizarrely decided to keep him out of “decision-making” positions. Does that mean he’s not fit enough to play 12? Put him in a position where he can do some damage, please.

Dwayne Peel: Remind me why he’s not in the Wales squad, fighting Mike Phillips for the Wales No 9 shirt. Oh yes, there is not adequate reason. Leaving him out is very much Wales’ loss.

London Irish 24 Bath 25 – The Verdict

LONDON IRISH 24 BATH 25
By Paul Morgan, editor of Rugby World Magazine

Well, something had to give here at the Madejski Stadium as two of the sides with the worst recent record in the Aviva Premiership clashed. Going into the game London Irish has lost their last eight games in all competitions since their 39-26 victory over Sale at Madejski Stadium on 31 October.
Bath’s most recent victory in Aviva Premiership Rugby was 31-16 against Sale at The Rec on 25 September. Both shocking runs!
Toby Booth was rightly exasperated by the performance of referee Greg Garner but as everyone in the crowd of 11,811 saw London Irish’s first try was created by a forward pass, so things do go both ways.
The game was one through a tactical masterstroke from the Bath coaches.
They were out-classed in almost every facet of the game in the first half and one had possession in the London Irish 22 twice! The fact that Irish only led 17-9 was the biggest surprise.
But in the 15-minute half-time break Steve Meehan and his coaches hatched a plan to attack Irish’s forwards in a very specific way with a pick and go game that was one of the narrowest I have ever seen. But it was effective.
Bath’s backline barely created a chance all afternoon, in contrast to London Irish who scored three superb tries – all singing and dancing!
But all singing and dancing doesn’t always win the game, although it should have done in this game.
So all Bath did in the second half was pick and go and rely on a very erratic kicking performance from Chris Malone. He kicked the ball out on the full once and failed to clear his lines twice, as Lewis Moody brought his England form to Reading.
Irish failed to get out of their territory for large parts of the second half and as Bath had been practicing this new style in training they stayed faithful to it, which was a brave move as Irish’s backline looked so dangerous.
They even stayed faithful to it when Topsy Ojo scored a superb try, cutting off his right wing and through an attempted tackle from Olly Barkley.
So Bath strayed patient, committed to the style and in Barkley they had a kicker who only missed one penalty all afternoon.
Bath’s pick and go and rolling maul even dragged Richard Thorpe into the sin bin and while he was off Bath scored a crucial ten points, including Michael Claassens’ try, predictably from inches!
In the end it was left to Barkley to score a final-minute penalty to win it.
Incredibly Irish have now not won for nine matches, but they are still fourth in the table, just ahead of one of the most congested mid-tables in Premiership history. Lose one more though and they could easily be seventh, and that would be unacceptable for a side of London Irish’s stature, and recent success.
But I do believe the match leaves London Irish (and not just in league position terms) in far better shape than Bath.
Irish should keep the faith as they have the players to get them out of this run. I would still back London Irish, as long as they win next week, to make the play-offs. One more loss though and they’ll fall back and they may start doubting themselves.

Players to note:
• Daniel Bowden – Could be the find of the season alongside Manu Tuilagi. Bowden’s kicking game gives England an inside centre they currently don’t have. Without an All Blacks cap he could (perhaps) be persuaded to throw in his lot with England in 2012 once he serves his residency qualification.
• Danny Grewcock – He would be mad to retire at the end of the season as he has suggested. He put the grunt into the Bath effort today and could still offer something to England.
• Alex Corbisiero – Another who will play for England as he offers the ball-carrying threat so absent from the vast majority of England props. Another one to move into the set-up quickly.
• James Buckland – When he was at Leicester I always felt his lineout throwing wasn’t good enough for the top level, but he has clearly worked very hard on this side of his game and deserves an England A call-up.

London Irish (17) 24 
Tries: Tagicakibau, Thorpe, Ojo Cons: Malone 2, Bowden Pens: Malone 
Bath (9) 25 
Tries: Claassens Cons: Barkley Pens: Barkley 6