London Welsh v Sale Sharks Preview
By Mark W-J
February 14 2013
Sale’s visit to Oxford this weekend could prove to be the most important game of London Welsh’s season. The Sharks’ recent upturn in form possibly gives them a slight advantage on Sunday, but a home win could end their mini-revival and put pressure back on them with seven rounds remaining; defeat would extend our losing streak to five league games and see us installed as relegation favourites.
Things looked so different just a few weeks ago. At Christmas Sale were odds-on for the drop, with just one win from their opening eleven fixtures, while Welsh reached the midpoint of the season with 20 points, thirteen clear of the one relegation spot and halfway to the mystical 40 points which supposedly guarantee Premiership survival. One bookmaker put the odds of us dropping back to the Championship at the first time of asking at 25-1: to put that in context, at the start of the season the odds on us reaching the play-offs were just 33-1, the same as those on Sale being crowned champions. But the three league games since then have seen a massive swing in the two clubs’ fortunes. Sale have won two home games - against Worcester and Exeter - while we’ve collected a solitary losing bonus point at home to Harlequins, as a result of which the gap is down to just six points. But if the Welsh support want to take some solace from our predicament, it lies in that last sentence: namely, home form being key to both clubs’ fortunes. Sale are one of two Premiership clubs yet to win on their travels this season - the other is Worcester, who visit the Kassam on the final day of the season - while the significance of our win up at Salford in mid-September becomes greater as each of the teams around us falls to defeat to the rejuvenated Sharks. We’ve both recorded home wins over London Irish and Exeter, while Bath, who we beat in early November - visit Sale in round 18 in late March.
Sale Lock Ritchie Gray
Currently part of Scotlands' 2013 Six Nations squad
While London Welsh have recorded only one win in their last ten outings in all competitions, we have taken heart from the fact that Lyn Jones has prioritised Premiership survival this season, to the extent that the Amlin and LV campaigns have been little more than minor distractions. Sale, however, have used the LV Cup to build up a head of steam, to get a few wins under their belt, and to boost morale as the league reaches its latter stages. They qualified for the semi-finals as second seeds, with three wins from their four pool matches, and nobody - not even unbeaten Harlequins - could match their 15 tries. As a result they are just two wins away from Heineken Cup qualification for next season, despite their parlous league position: they entertain Saracens in the last four on 10th March, with Quins or Bath awaiting the victors in the final at Sixways seven days later. The target for Welsh this Sunday, however, is to knock Sale out of their stride. If we can claim victory, by whatever means, it will give us a buffer of around 9-10 points, and the Sharks’ next two league matches are at home to Harlequins and away to Leicester - coincidentally, exactly the same as our last two fixtures. And while the Premiership is notoriously unpredictable, especially during international windows, it would not be unreasonable to expect them to struggle to collect more than the solitary losing bonus point that we collected from the same two fixtures, which would keep enable us to keep them at arm’s length as the season draws to a tight close.
It’s worth reflecting, however, on how the Premiership’s relegation-threatened clubs have belatedly sprung to life in the final third of the season in recent years. Last year, Newcastle claimed three of their six wins in the final four rounds of fixtures, while Wasps, having lost nine in a row from November to February, managed to win two of their last six to avoid the drop by a point. Twelve months earlier the Falcons had lost their last seven games, but back-to-back wins in late-February and early-March were enough to see off the challenge of Leeds, who won three of their last eight - including a 30-29 thriller at Kingston Park - only to be relegated on points’ difference. This year, of course, there is a third team in the mix. Many people see London Irish as the team most likely to escape the relegation battle, and it’s easy to see why. Worcester, Sale and Welsh all visit Reading in the last five rounds of matches, and if Irish display the kind of form which saw them thrash the previously unbeaten Northampton, or win away at Kingsholm, they should be pulling away from the basement fairly steadily over the coming months. Some people have suggested that Worcester could yet find themselves drawn into a dogfight, and while their away form is suspect they have two misfiring teams in Northampton and Exeter to visit Sixways in the coming weeks, so they should be able to steer themselves to safety.
The soggy Kassam pitch at the Quins match
Will the wet conditions prevent a running game on Sunday?
Last weekend, Sale beat Exeter in Friday’s televised game, with ex-England winger Mark Cueto breaking former teammate Steve Hanley’s record as the Premiership’s top try-scorer. It was Cueto’s 76th top-flight score in his 176th league appearance at an average of 0.43 tries per game, although Hanley’s strike-rate of 0.56 tries per game makes him the league’s most prolific scorer. However, Wasps’ Tom Varndell, the Premiership’s top scorer this season with eleven, is close on their heels with 70 tries from 138 games (0.51 per game), while London Welsh’s Tom Voyce is still fifth on 66, despite not having crossed since scoring a brace for Gloucester in the final game of last season against London Irish. With three tries, Cueto is also Sale’s joint-top try scorer this year, alongside Samoan centre Johnny Leota, while the celebrations surrounding his landmark score last Friday somewhat overshadowed a maiden touchdown in the Premiership for former All Black openside Dan Braid, signed from Auckland Blues before Christmas, whose arrival has been hailed as making the big difference to the Sharks’ fortunes. Their top points scorer is Danny Cipriani, who seems to have settled into his rhythm under Steve Diamond after being publicly held responsible for the club’s failing fortunes under the brief stewardship of another Kiwi, John Mitchell, coincidentally the man who gave Braid his first cap. Cipriani v Henson would be a match-up that most supporters would love to see - partly, you suspect, because a hefty proportion of the rugby population would love to see them both fail in spectacular fashion, but also because, on their day, they are two of the most naturally gifted, spontaneous players of the professional era. The chance of it happening, sadly, is slim: Gordon Ross is enjoying far-and-away his best season in the scarlet jersey, his four penalties at Leicester last weekend taking him to 136 points for season, his second-highest return in a league campaign, and just 25 behind his best, set in 2004-05 with Leeds.
New Premiership record holder Mark Cueto
Sunday’s game will be the third meeting of the clubs in league rugby, with both previous games having been won by the away side. Sale won 16-9 at ODP in the old Courage Two in January 1989, while they were also victorious on both of their previous appearances at the Kassam, twice winning the European Challenge Cup by beating first Pontypridd (25-22, 2002) and then Pau (27-3, 2005). This is Sale’s nineteenth consecutive season in the top flight, since they were promoted as runners-up to West Hartlepool in 1994. They had been included in Courage One in the first season of league rugby (1987-88) but were relegated with eleven defeats from eleven games - although they played seven of those matches away from home - and failing to even get on the scoreboard on three occasions, losing 17-0 at home to Nottingham, 19-0 at Orrell and 66-0 at Harlequins. In the professional era, of course, they have fared much better, becoming Champions in 2005-06 under the guidance of current France coach Philippe Saint-Andre. It’s fair to say that the Welshmen amongst us took great pleasure in ruining his weekend in Paris last Saturday, and all London Welshmen will be hoping for a similar outcome against his former charges on Sunday. Yet while this game alone won’t decide the fate of either club, you can’t help feeling that the players and supporters of London Irish and Worcester will be watching almost as nervously as the London Welsh and Sale fans. Who said the Premiership was boring?
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How well has Briggsy been performing for you?
Really great bloke - worth getting to know.
London Welsh vs Sale Sharks
Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant referee1: Nigel Carrick
Assistant referee 2: Paul Dix
4th official: Eric Bullion
Assessor: Tony Spreadbury
The only other bad news apart from the referee is that Craig Doyle will be at Kassam on Sunday. He said that on the ITV1/4 Rugby Show.
Quote:H's D
How well has Briggsy been performing for you?
In one word EPIC.
See you Sunday
Breathe.Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.
His ban for that punch seems to have curtailed his community work though...
Replacements: 16. Greg Bateman, 17. Tom Bristow, 18. James Tideswell, 19. Kirill Kulemin*, 20. Michael Hills, 21. Tyson Keats, 22. Gordon Ross*, 23. Seb Jewell
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:02:15:13:10:40 by sportbilly42.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:02:15:23:30:03 by DanFW3.
Also plenty of versatility up front.
If fit Henson is the right pick at 10. Much as I love Gordon Ross and can't praise him enough for all he has done this season, if Gav is anywhere near firing he will control our shape and has the ability to create something for us.
My only gripe is I would probably have started Seb over Sonny, but fully understand that they will probably swap at some point during the game.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:02:16:14:16:49 by chappers.
interesting article on tomorrow's match in today's Guardian.
fingers crossed for tomorrow. i'll be there and hope to continue my 100% winning record this season
Be perfectly happy with a 3-0 win tomorrow, but suspect a try may be crucial in a scrappy game.
Very wary of Braid, a fine player indeed, less worried about Gray, especially if he plays in 6N mode.
Not convinced by the starting half back pairing for LW. Though Henson may well be stirred by the sight of Cipriani in opposition. And would have prefered Jewell in for Parker. But then I haven't been at training all week so have no idea which combinations have worked.
Quote:Newest Sir Benfro
I wonder when we last fielded 9 internationals in the LW squad ??
Over to you Mark
from the meteroids.........Exeter lose to Sarries...............game on !"GIVE THEM NO BALL OR BAD BALL WELSH"
Its going to be very difficult now, but not impossible. Pass the red wine, I need some comforting.....
The result could have gone either way. Little consolation I know but you made it a great game and returning the ball with passion & no little skill.
Gavin deserved his MotM. That pop pass for your try in front of us.... a thing of beauty.
Good luck in the rest of the season.
Gutted
Incidentally poor stuff on the ITV 'highlights' - lousy edit, crap comms, and as for the double glazing man.....
joking with the double glazing salesman
at the end of the game....
Still, fat lady not started her scales
as yet, let alone a full blown song...
Quote:Newest Sir Benfro
Not also sure how Sale can field a player who it seems has failed a drugs test and faces a 2 year ban! Hardly going to do a lot for the image of the game IMHO.
Take it up with the IRB/RFU. If he's available for selection Sale have the right to us him
Quote:sweeney21Quote:Newest Sir Benfro
Not also sure how Sale can field a player who it seems has failed a drugs test and faces a 2 year ban! Hardly going to do a lot for the image of the game IMHO.
Take it up with the IRB/RFU. If he's available for selection Sale have the right to us him
Yes fair enough but we all know he is going down,as has been explained.
won't quote on anything else until i have watched the game again, first impression was that we lost the game but played better.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:02:17:23:28:44 by chappers.
(This may be slightly biased but hey ho...)
I watched the Quins/Tigers game on Saturday now there was a linesman that should be teaching the others, wake up you are supposed to be part of the refereeing team, not just the refs puppet.
Quote:Outclassed? Were you watching the same game as me?dottigirl
That was a game where we outclassed the opposition in all facets, but they made two lucky scores and got on the good side of the ref.
(This may be slightly biased but hey ho...)
Quote:Mark W-J
There was definitely some communication between the TJ and ref over that incident, Chappers. Seemed to me that Doyle was asking for confirmation and the TJ was just assuring him that there was no knock-on, despite the fact that all of the supporters were sure and Doyle himself suspected that the ball had gone forward off a Sale hand.
Yes just watched the replay and the linesman says I didn't see a knock on.
From what I remember it was actually really a forward pass as a second Sale player coming forward caught it.
It happened right in front of the linesman and as you said everyone in the crowd saw it.
Unfortunately the camera angle is on the wrong side to be able to see it on the replay.
Still Sale took all their chances bar the penalty they refused and we squandered enogh chances to have probably won the game twice over, once again let down by handling errors.