Albanians Arrive...

By Leipziger
April 14 2006

I had a nice steak pie at half time at Bristol. Now that Sunday’s dealt with, it’s time to look forward, never backwards, to the visit of the Stockport Albanians.

Sale Sharks come north sitting pretty at the top of the Premiership, eight points ahead of champions Wasps who have a game in hand against Leicester.  They cemented their position with a dogged 18-15 win over Gloucester at Edgeley Park on Saturday, Jason Robinson’s drop goal settling a battle of the kickers.  Charlie Hodgson had previously kicked four penalties for the home side, complemented by a Richard Wigglesworth effort, to cancel out five successful kicks by the Cherry and Whites’ Ryan Lamb.

 

Having beaten us on the first day of the season, Sale lost their first away game at Kingsholm, but have won at Saracens, Leeds, Bath, Worcester and London Irish, drawing 27-27 at Leicester in December and losing at Wasps in February.  In the Cups, Sale were triumphant away to Castres and Newport in the Heineken Cup, and at Leeds in the Powergen Cup.  However, in the latter competition they fell in Munster in the final group match and two weeks ago Biarritz knocked the Sharks out of Europe with an 11-6 win in San Sebastien.

 

Sale come to Kingston Park having never won at our newest ground, although they were victorious once at the County Ground and four times at North Road, the latest in 1973 by a score of 22-19.  Last year’s league meeting on Tyneside ended with a 30-29 victory for the Falcons, Jonny Wilkinson converting his own try for a last minute win (his failed conversion denied us victory at Edgeley Park in September), and the Albanians’ most recent visit for the Powergen Cup in October saw us defeat an experimental away side 34-9, their heaviest reverse of the season, with the following sides fielded:

Newcastle: M Burke 2T 1C 1P, A Elliott, J Noon, M Mayerhofler (58, J Wilkinson 1C), M Tait 1T, T Flood 1T, H Charlton 2T (77, L Dickson), D Wilson (40, M Ward), M Thompson (58, A Long), T Paoletti (40, R Morris), A Perry (71, L Gross), G Parling, O Finegan (71, M McCarthy), C Harris, C Charvis.

Sale: S Hanley, N Wakley, E Seveali’I (74, J Duffy), R Todd (70, V Courrant), O Ripol, D Larrachea 3P, S Martens (65, B Foden), L Maure, A Titterell, B Coutts (62, B Stewart), IF Lobbe (40, D Schofield), C Day (79, M Lund), P Anglesea, J Carter (YC), N Bonner Evans (YC).

 

So that’s one record we can look to maintain.  Ironically, as the only current Premiership team + Harlequins never to win at KP, Sale lost the first ever league match at the hallowed ground, 7-6 in the second division on September 22^nd 1990.

 

Sale have made great strides since the days they played to crowds of a thousand or two at Heywood Road, and have been a regular feature at the top of the Premiership in recent years.  Accordingly, they boast a galaxy of internationals in their squad, including, first of all, former Northampton wing Oriol Ripol, one of the few Spanish internationals to have played in the Premiership.

 

England are represented by current internationals Mark Cueto, the much-debated Charlie Hodgson and bulldozing prop Andy Sheridan, who packs down with hooker Andy Titterell and is pushed forward by Chris Jones.  One-capper Steve Hanley and World Cup winner Jason Robinson play in a strong, fast back line, which can call on the experience of Wales’ Mark Taylor and the Pacific skills of Tongans Sililo Martens and John Payne and Samoan Elvis Seveali’i.  Moving back to the forwards, Scotland captain Jason White is a consistent back row performer with fellow Jock Barrie Stewart and Argentinian Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe.

 

What is noticeable but perhaps not surprising about Sale’s squad is that their French contingent numbers five, of which only two, the powerful and popular forwards Sebastien Bruno and Sebastien Chabal, are internationals.  The three uncapped Frenchmen are Lionel Faure, Valentin Courrant and Daniel Larrachea, with the latter having been particularly impressive in the Sharks’ back line this season.

 

Sure to join the international ranks soon is flanker Magnus Lund, Mathew Tait’s England Sevens team-mate who has won widespread acclaim for his performances.

 

A few stats now.  First, our record at home against Sale:

P32 W26 D1 L5 F700 A367

29/3/52         County Ground         Club Match                        W17-0

24/3/56         County Ground         Club Match                        L6-32

29/3/58         North Road              Club Match                        L0-8

26/3/60         North Road              Club Match                        W11-6

24/3/62         North Road              Club Match                        L5-18

7/3/64          North Road              Club Match                        D3-3

4/3/67          North Road              Club Match                        W6-0

8/3/69          North Road              Club Match                        W32-0

6/3/71          North Road              Club Match                        W26-8

3/3/73          North Road              Club Match                        L19-22

29/9/73         North Road              RFU Cup Preliminary Round   W18-6

1/3/75          North Road              Club Match                        W43-7

6/3/76          North Road              Club Match                        W40-7

4/3/78          North Road              Northern Merit Table           W26-10

1/3/80          North Road              Northern Merit Table           W20-9

6/3/82          North Road              Northern Merit Table           W30-3

3/3/84          North Road              Northern Merit Table           L9-22

5/3/88          North Road              Club Match                        W29-8

10/3/90         Percy Park               Courage League Division 2    W22-18

22/9/90         Kingston Park           Courage League Division 2    W7-6

26/9/92         Kingston Park           Courage League Division 2    W7-3

3/12/94         Kingston Park           Club Match                        W40-7

10/3/98         Kingston Park           Allied Dunbar Premiership 1   W23-18

20/12/98       Kingston Park           Allied Dunbar Premiership 1   W30-15

29/12/99       Kingston Park           Allied Dunbar Premiership 1   W12-6

6/1/01          Kingston Park           Tetley’s Bitter Cup SF         W37-25

11/3/01         Kingston Park           Zurich Premiership              W48-24

31/3/02         Kingston Park           Zurich Premiership              W30-10

27/10/02       Kingston Park           Zurich Premiership              W31-20

21/9/03         Kingston Park           Zurich Premiership              W9-8

2/1/05          Kingston Park           Zurich Premiership              W30-29

2/10/05         Kingston Park           Powergen Cup Group 3        W34-9

 

And now, Gosforth / Newcastle on April 16^th since WWI:

1919   Old Novocastrians (H)         0-14 (Our first game after WWI)

1949   Workington (A)                  6-14

1954   Blackheath (H)                   9-6

1955   Percy Park (H)                   3-14

1960   Perthshire Academicals (H)   41-3

1966   Waterloo (A)                     14-3

1975   Alnwick (A)                       25-6 (Northumberland Cup SF)

1977   Waterloo (Twickenham)       27-11 (John Player Cup Final)

1980   Berwick (H)                       43-0 (Northumberland Cup SF)

1983   Hartlepool Rovers (A)          27-14

1986   Northern (A)                      9-4 (Northumberland Cup SF)

1988   Leicester (A)                     0-65

1994   Orrell (H)                          13-12 (Division 1)

1997   Blackheath (A)                   72-10 (Division 2)

Born on this day: Steve Brotherstone (1971)

 

Sale have most of their squad available for Sunday, with of their current senior squad, only Sheridan, Faure, and back-rower John Carter out injured.  Legendary flanker Pete Anglesea recently announced his retirement due to injury.  However, Charlie Hodgson misses out and Steve Hanley and Mark Cueto only make the replacements in the away side:

 

Daniel Larrechea, Oriol Ripol, Elvis Sevealai’I, Chris Mayor, Jason Robinson, Valentin Courrent, Sililo Martens, Eifion Roberts, Sebastien Bruno, Barry Stewart, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, Chris Day, Nathan Bonner Evans, Magnus Lund and Sebastien Chabal

Replacements: Andy Titterrell, Stuart Turner, Ben Coutts, Jason White, Richard Wigglesworth, Steve Hanley, Mark Cueto

 

Newcastle on the other hand have named Jonny Wilkinson on the bench, whilst Mathew Tait returns from England Sevens and Anthony Elliott starts after missing out last week. James Grindal comes in at 9 for Hall Charlton.  In the forwards, the only changes are in the second row with Geoff Parling and Luke Gross replacing the injured Andys Buist and Perry:

 

15 Matthew Burke
14 Tom May
13 Mathew Tait
12 Mark Mayerhofler
11 Anthony Elliott
10 Toby Flood
9 James Grindal

1 Micky Ward
2 Andy Long
3 Robbie Morris
4 Luke Gross
5 Geoff Parling
6 Mike McCarthy
7 Cory Harris
8 Colin Charvis (captain)

Replacements:

Jonny Williams
Matt Thompson
Owen Finegan
Ben Woods
Jamie Noon
Hall Charlton
Jonny Wilkinson

 

One last thing – when (if) Sale score their first points on Sunday, it will bring up the 1,000 against us, whilst we should hit 1,200 against the Cheshire team (the total score is currently 1196-999).