‘Blimey, are we back here again?' I think, as I take my seat in Welford Road's Clubhouse Stand. The Sale players appear on the pitch, and the atmosphere builds- Smoke on the Water, the stamping of feet- and then it's down to business. Sale kick off and the first few minutes are pretty even. Our lineout seems not to be the basket case it sometimes has been, and we pinch one from the Tigers, but then we are penalised at one of our own lineouts, and Andy Goode puts the Tigers 3-0 ahead after 5 minutes. We respond quickly, driving a maul and then using forwards to make ground around the fringes. Tigers infringe and Luke McAlister makes no mistake with the kick. All square after 8 minutes.

In the next quarter hour the two sides try to find a way through- everything from the sword thrust- a grubber by Charlie, to the battle tank- a half break by Eifion. Both defences are dominant and force errors, and neither side gets on top. Eventually, Julien Laharrague, taking a high kick, dodges the first Tigers player but can't get free and is tackled into touch on our 22. Leicester get a drive on from the lineout and we are penalised. Goode kicks the penalty. Things start to get tetchy now, but Sale have a penalty and Luke McAlister ties the scores again.

We seem to have the upper hand now, but not enough to get our noses ahead. Charlie kicks long, but the wind helps it go dead, giving Leicester an attacking scrum, although they knock on just as they are really threatening our line. Chabal breaks, Tigers infringe and we kick the penalty to touch. We move the ball quickly from the lineout, work up the field and Corcho tries a chip and chase. Again the ball goes dead, giving Tigers a scrum on their 22. They break out, but Ollie Smith is hauled down a few metres short. Fortunately, play is called back for a Tigers knock on. Just at the end of the half, the Sale pack pressurise the Tigers at a scrum, Tigers scramble to touch but Sale win a penalty and go in 9-6 ahead.

Both sides start the second half fired up. Leicester put us under pressure down the left but knock on and Luke McAlister kicks long. Tigers scramble but just touch the ball down against the post. We then mount a sustained attack, kicking successive penalties for the corner. Charlie almost cuts through, and then Eifion charges round the fringes of a pileup, but the Tigers' defence is too good. Finally, we choose to kick a penalty on the Tigers' 22, and Luke misses! We keep the pressure on though, and win a 5 metre scrum. Our pack shunts the Tigers backwards and only some real die-in-a-ditch defence keeps us out. An attempted clearance is charged down and Chris Jones breaks through, but Andy Goode pinches his attempted offload. Then play gets scrappy, Tigers chip and chase and we concede a scrum 5, from which Tigers drive over for Jordan Crane to score. Goode sends the conversion wide. We have had over half an hour without a score, but it has been gripping, tense stuff.

Tigers try and close the game down, but just can't. Luke McAlister breaks and kicks through, but the Tigers defenders touch down just ahead of Mark Cueto. We run the ball from the restart but lose possession, then Tigers kick the ball dead. We have a scrum and its ‘last throw of the dice' time. McAlister breaks but is isolated. Tigers win the ball but miss the touch kick. Ripol runs it back then, from the pileup, Charlie makes a half break and feeds Luke McAlister. Luke is caught a few metres out on the right, but passes to the supporting Sebastien Chabal, who crashes over in the corner with two defenders hanging on to him. The conversion is wide but has used up the last 40 seconds, and we have won!

No, it wasn't a classic. It was very even and both defences were very aggressive, forcing lots of errors. Our pack was really up for it (when was the last time a Tigers' pack went backwards in the scrum like that?) and our threequarters seemed to work rather better than the Tigers' makeshift back division. But it was real edge of your seat stuff, with the result only decided at the very end- truly rugby to set your heart racing! My man of the match, I think, Nacho- the forwards were truly immense and he led them by example.

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