Sale Sharks channel Rudyard Kipling to edge into Premiership play-offs

Telegraph

3 days ago

Exeter Chiefs 26 Sale Sharks 30
It is not every day a rugby coach wraps up a post-match interview by quoting Rudyard Kipling – but then again Alex Sanderson isn't your average touchline presence.
Reflecting on Sale Sharks ' gritty final-day triumph over Exeter Chiefs, the Sharks boss reached for the poet's timeless wisdom, to 'keep your head, when everybody else is losing theirs' to sum up his side's resolve under pressure.
The 30-26 victory not only secured third place in the Gallagher Premiership table, but also ensured Sale will march into next week's semi-final showdown with Leicester Tigers brimming with belief and momentum.
'Things are coming together at the right time,' said Sanderson. 'Some of it is intentional, some of it is luck, but you need a bit of that if you want to do things that leave a mark. For us, we've got some of our best players, hitting their best form, at just the right time.
'We're expecting a test for sure. Leicester have one of the best defences in the league, really strong set-piece, good kicking game. [Michael] Cheika is canny, he's smart, and looking at today there are areas, especially around the breakdown, that we will need to be better at.
'I've no doubt they'll use the crowd, 20,000 to motivate their group. But we were there three weeks ago and there were some lessons you can't learn getting knocked out in the semi. We now have the opportunity to put those right, so Saturday is about putting things right that we reviewed.'
The Sharks were given a decent test ahead of their final four showdown by a Chiefs side, who will be glad to put the lid on a dismal season, one in which they finished ninth, their lowest-ever return in the top-flight.
'The game today was brilliant, it was physical, back and forth, some really good running in there from Exeter,' added Sanderson. 'You have to go through those moments when it's 23-19 or 30-26, it readies you, it arms you for games like the semi-final and the final, which are all close.
'So if you can keep your head, when everybody else is losing theirs, I think that's the old Rudyard Kipling poem, you're in such a better place on the back of that knowing what we can fix from the Leicester game and what we can do better from today.'
Not that the Sharks will have to tinker too much with their plan. Playmaker George Ford delivered an on-field masterclass for the visitors, producing a flawless kicking display, as well as a steadying hand, even at the toughest of times.
He set his side on their way to victory with a penalty inside two minutes – and he would add two more during the course of the contest, as well as successful conversions to tries from Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, Bevan Rodd and Luke Cowan-Dickie.
In reply, the Chiefs – who trailed 20-5 at the break – showed a glimpse into the future in a much-improved second half display.
Tries from the impressive Josh Hodge, Will Haydon-Wood and Richard Capstick kept them competitive until the death, this after winger Paul Brown-Bampoe had raced over in a rare moment of joy in the first period.
Match details
Scoring sequence: Ford pen (0-3), Brown-Bampoe try (5-3), Ford pen (5-6), Ma'asi-White try (5-11), Ford con (5-13), Rodd try (5-18), Ford con (5-20), Hodge try (10-20), Hodge con (12-20), Ford pen (12-23), Haydon-Wood try (17-23), Hodge con (19-23), Cowan-Dickie (19-28), Ford con (19-30), Capstick try (24-30), Hodge con (26-30)
Exeter Chiefs: Josh Hodge; Paul Brown-Bampoe (Ross Vintcent 40), Henry Slade, Tamati Tua, Tommy Wyatt (Will Haydon-Wood 20); Harvey Skinner, Stu Townsend; Kwenzo Blose (Scott Sio 57), Jack Yeandle (c, Dan Frost 57)), Josh Iosefa-Scott (Jimmy Roots 57); Rusi Tuima (Christ Tshiunza 65), Franco Molina; Jacques Vermeulen (Martin Moloney 65), Richard Capstick, Ethan Roots. Replacement: (not used): Tom Cairns
Yellow Car d: E Roots
Sale Sharks: Joe Carpenter (Luke James 71); Tom O'Flaherty, Rob du Preez, Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, Arron Reed (Alex Wills 74); George Ford, Raffi Quirke (Gus Warr 58); Bevan Rodd (Simon McIntyre 57), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Tadgh McElroy 71), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (WillGriff John 57); Ernst van Rhyn, Jonny Hill (Ben Bamber 71); JL du Preez, Ben Curry (c), Dan du Preez (Sam Dugdale 50).
Yellow Cards: Ma'asi-White, Warr
Referee: C Ridley
Attendance: 9,897