Sale v Northampton five takeaways: Henry Pollock ‘gets the last laugh’ as hosts struggle with ‘fundamentals’
Sale v Northampton five takeaways:
Northampton Saints defeated Sale Sharks 29-43 on Saturday evening to regain their spot at the helm of English rugby.
Here are our five takeaways from the match:
The top line
Before the match, Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson stressed how important this match was for this season’s title hopes, with his side languishing well below the top six.
Hoping his players would come out of the traps fast and ferocious, the 46-year-old would have been disappointed to see the visitors shatter the deadlock within just six minutes when England star Tommy Freeman received the ball from Alex Mitchell to power between two would-be defenders and score the opener.
With the engine purring, Saints added to the scoreboard minutes later through Rory Hutchingson, as they drew the stunned Sale defence in, before spinning the ball out wide.
Sanderson, like the rest of the Sharks faithful, would have been dreading a rout at this stage. But the quick-thinking dummy from Newcastle-bound Raffi Quirke lightened the load when he stretched over from close range midway through the first half.
Just when Sale appeared to be making their way back into the game, Sharks stalwart Tom Curry earned himself ten minutes in the bin for a high tackle, leaving his side short. His teammates picked up the slack, however, holding out until the half, with George Ford spiking over three points before the break to bring the scores within four.
Sanderson’s words must have been strong during the break, because just 39 seconds into the new half, talented fullback Joe Carpenter went over for Sale to take the lead for the first time in the match, making it 15-14 as they kicked off the scoreboard seesaw.
It was Saints’ turn next. Not suiting the champaign rugby style of the day, hooker Robbie Smith went old school to dot down from close range after sustained pressure.
Former Exeter Chief Tom O’Flaherty was next, taking the ball on the right wing for a simple touchdown in the corner. His celebrations didn’t last long, however, as Alex Mitchell brilliantly put Furbank through the gap minutes later, working well with Edoardo Todaro to regain the lead once again.
The game wasn’t done yet, however. Sale had one more punch to throw. South African Rob Du Preez nudged a perfectly balanced crosskick into the hands of the onrushing O’Flaherty to squeeze in one final effort with 20 minutes left on the clock.
For all Sale’s hard work, Callum Chick signalled the beginning of the end just two minutes later with a superstar break, which ended with Josh Kemeny striding over the line, before sustained pressure resulted in Alex Coles diving over in the left corner to take them to a six-point lead.
The hammer in the coffin was the always entertaining Henry Pollock, who collected a Tommy Freeman flyhack to outpace Ford and end Sale Shark PREM hopes.
Northampton Saint’s ‘unit moved as one’
It’s easy to spot that this is a team that has been playing and growing together for years. The cohesion within the ranks is second to none. Each player appears to know exactly where each other is at any given time, and that was displayed in spades on Saturday.
Each attack was free-flowing, and every pass appeared comfortable, with no concern about whether their teammate would be there or not – they knew they would be.
Even without the incredibly talented Fin Smith, this Northampton unit moved as one. Alex Mitchell’s little darts always had backup, and his soft hands always had a hard runner off of them.
Tommy Freeman was as comfortable running lines down the centre as he was waiting out wide, giving a clear indication that these players are allowed to express themselves and move around freely in this system that director of rugby Phil Dowson has created.
Such is the camaraderie and almost family-like atmosphere that Dowson has created that it feels like the players are playing for each other.
This was shown when Pollock was targeted with two high shots in a short space of time, and the entirety of the Saints team balled over to support the incensed Hutchinson, who had confronted the aggressor.
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A gritty Sale comeback
For all of Northampton’s quality on Saturday, nothing can be taken away from Sale’s gritty determination to stay in the game and make the visitors work for their victory.
With each setback came an intense fightback from the home side, unwilling to allow their PREM hopes to be dashed in front of a hopeful home crowd. Quirke, O’Flaherty and Carpenter all got their names on the scoreboard, but their opportunities were limited.
Northampton had the overwhelming number of carries and possessed a very solid set piece. Sale, on the other hand, struggled particularly in the lineout, winning just 75% of their own ball, which, as a fundamental of the game, puts those try-scoring opportunities on the back burner.
Without a solid base from which to work off, your team is relying on moments of magic and brilliant heads-up rugby to make a dent in the league leaders. Against weaker sides, their talented squad could have forged a result, but against the organised Saints, their battle was always uphill.
Do Sale still have a chance, or are they out of contention?
The result all but rules Sale out of playoff contention. They now sit 16 points below fourth-placed Leicester Tigers with just eight matches remaining. Mathematically, they could still scrape a place, but after Sanderson made such an impactful statement on the importance of this game to their PREM hopes, the mood around camp won’t be one of optimism anymore.
Sale have Dan and Rob du Preez set to exit the club at the end of the season, alongside Raffi Quirke, so perhaps the farewell of these long-term players will be enough to motivate the squad to see them off in the right way, but if that is to happen, then the squad need to come together, fast.
Pollock picked on but gets the last laugh
Henry Pollock is never quiet. Even if he’s not talking – which is unlikely – he’s always at the centre of the action. As one of the most exciting players in England, the 20-year-old attracts attention, but not always in a way that he, or his teammates, would like.
On Saturday, the attention was on Pollock as soon as he arrived on the field. Although he played just 15 minutes, a full 30-man brawl erupted in the Sale 22 after he received two high shots in quick succession.
Taking the ball to the Sharks defence on the angle, Pollock was hooked around the neck by flanker Sam Dugdale in a clearly deliberate high shot. Just moments later, as Hutchinson was wrestling on the ground with the Sale player, Pollock went on yet another mazy run, before appearing to be struck around the face by Ben Bamber.
That was enough for the Saints players to abandon hopes of playing the game for the moment, as they piled in to support the grounded Hutchinson as O’Flaherty joined the two-man scrap. Eventually being extinguished, the game returned to its previous state, with Northampton on the attack.
Having clearly gotten under the Sale players’ skins, they wouldn’t have enjoyed seeing Pollock fly over for the final try of the game.