The season began in controversy, as we played four returning British & Irish Lions in the first game, at home to Newcastle Falcons, in spite of their not having had a long enough rest period after the tour. An even game, marked by a fine debut at fullback from Daniel Larrachea, was finally decided by a Jonny Wilkinson howler, exploited by Charlie Hodgson who galloped in under the posts. Although Falcons fought back and scored a try in the dying minutes, Wilko missed with the conversion and Sale sneaked home 26-25. The first away game of the season was down in Gloucester, played in driving rain throughout. Sale took a half time lead, thanks to tries from Mark Cueto and Seabass, but Gloucester played a tight game in the second half and Sale only survived by infringing. Eventually, in the tenth minute of second half injury time, and with Sherri and Chris Jones in the sinbin, the referee lost patience and gave Gloucester a penalty try and the match. Back in Stockport against London Irish, Sale dominated a fairly dour first half but couldn’t convert possession into points. We clicked in the second half, though, adding to three tries to our sole first half effort, and securing our first try bonus of the season in a comfortable 29-3 win. It was tries galore next in a 40-32 win away at Saracens, coached by Steve Diamond and naming five ex-Sale players in their match-day 22, with both sides collecting a try bonus. Elvis Seveali’i picked up two tries and the win was sealed by a 100% kicking performance from Charlie Hodgson.

October opened with a mighty forward confrontation at Edgeley Park, as the unbeaten Wasps came visiting. Apart from one lapse, letting Josh Lewsey through for a try, Sale’s defence was solid, while Wasps regularly conceded kickable penalties for Charlie. This steady flow of points was enough to give us a grip on the game throughout, finally winning 18-10 and going top of the Premiership. The short trip across the Pennines to Leeds gave Sale, weakened by international callups, another four points, though the scrappy game was most notable for the red-carded Lionel Faure’s attempt to pulverise Justin Marshall. Internationals meant further disruption for the visit of Worcester to Edgeley Park, but two tries and a drop goal from Jason Robinson, recently retired from international rugby, meant that the win was never in question. Leicester Tigers were next up in Stockport, determined to displace us from the top of the table, but that determination spilled over into indiscipline. Mark Taylor, embroiled in a club-versus-country row, got our noses ahead just before half time and a second try from Magnus Lund, shortly after the interval, kept us on top, though Tigers sneaked a late try to make things look more even than perhaps they were.  November ended with a 22-14 defeat at Bristol, with two tries being inadequate compensation for the wayward kicking of Larrachea and Courrent.

After a break for cup action, the Premiership resumed on Boxing Day with the visit of Northampton Saints. Sale edged ahead, Saints messed up a couple of scoring chances, and there was no way back for them. However, Wasps had sneaked ahead of us in the Table over the holiday and our first chance to go back to the top was away at Bath, the half way point of the season. A ferociously physical game at the Rec was finally decided by a massive Sale defensive effort and two second half tries from Elvis Seveali’i and, at the death, Magnus Lund. The first home game of 2006 was a nailbiter as Sale found it hard going against a streetwise Bristol side, who scored three tries but regularly conceded penalties and lost two players to the bin. Finally, we squeezed home 31-29 thanks to Charlie kicking 26 points. Then it was off to Welford Road, and a performance of total commitment that saw us lead 24-9 at half time thanks to tries from Chris Jones and Dean Schofield. But our discipline started to creak in the second half and a flawless kicking performance from Andy Goode edged the Tigers in front, only for Charlie to salvage a draw with a couple of minutes remaining.

On the road again, down in Worcester, Valentin Courrent turned in a scintillating performance, scoring 12 points in the first quarter as we took a 17-3 lead. A Warriors fightback took the half time score to 23-27. Further tries from Sililo Martens and Oriol Ripol gave us a good lead again, but Worcester weren’t finished and the win was only secured after 70 minutes by a converted Steve Hanley try. The first home game in February saw Leeds, bottom of the table and fighting for their lives, visit. Mark Cueto, filling in at fullback, had an uncomfortable evening and Leeds scored in the first couple of minutes. Sale trailed for most of the game and Leeds must have thought they were home and dry when Tom Biggs crossed in the 78th minute to make the score 16-24. But, in injury time, quickfire tries from Lund, Mayor and Wigglesworth destroyed Leeds, gave us a bonus point win we hardly deserved and took us ten points clear at the top of the Premiership. February finished with a weakened Sale side visiting Adams Park. Wiggy ran the game soundly from 10 and took us to a narrow half time lead. However, Wasps brought on their big guns, who had been on the England bench at Murrayfield the previous day, and took an increasingly ill-tempered game, finally marred by Seabass’s sending off for stamping on Dallaglio, away from us.

This was followed by a home defeat to Saracens, where a misfiring Sale side never got into the game, leaked two tries and just about managed to hold on for a losing bonus point. Suddenly, the cushion at the top of the table was evaporating, things were getting tight, and the last thing you need in these circumstances is a trip to London Irish. Sure enough, things looked grim as Irish ran in three first half tries. We kept in touch, though, thanks to Charlie’s kicking and finally scraped the win thanks to two late Steve Hanley tries. 

April always feels like the home straight for the Premiership, but Sale’s jitters continued as Gloucester visited and an ill-disciplined performance allowed Ryan Lamb to kick 3 penalties for a 3-9 halftime lead. We did better in the second half, and penalties from Charlie and Wiggy evened the scores at 15 all with three minutes left. Jason Robinson dropped a goal to give us the lead for the first time in the game, and the ugliest of ugly wins was only secure when a last gasp Gloucester penalty went wide. On the road a week later, up at Kingston Park and looking ahead to a playoff semifinal, a much-changed Sale side lost to the Falcons in an open, high scoring game, giving them a bonus point win which took them to Premiership safety and sent Leeds down. In the regular season’s final home game, Charlie’s kicking, and superb individual try, provided the foundation for a good win, made safe with three late tries, including two length-of-the-pitch efforts, and ensured we would finish top of the table. The final game, with nothing at stake, was away at Saints, but both sides turned on the style in a cracking match. Sale stormed into the lead with tries from Lobbe, Ben Foden and Steve Hanley. Saints came back with three tries in six minutes, Oriol Ripol pulled us ahead, then Ben Cohen brought Saints back into the game and, in the end, we hung on to win 34-36 because a long Bruce Reihana penalty fell a few metres short.

The semi-final brought Wasps up the M6 to a packed and pulsating Edgeley Park. Charlie turned in a perfect kicking performance, while Jason Robinson showed all his class to score the game’s only try, sidestepping Van Gisbergen and outpacing Josh Lewsey. Talking of scores, Seabass clearly had unfinished business with Mr Dallaglio, and produced a monumental hit on the Wasps Number 8. Job done and off to Twickenham, where we handed Leicester Tigers a lesson in creative, attacking rugby, in spite of the difficult conditions, and outscored them by four tries to two, winning comfortably by 45-20.


Regular season summary-

Played 22 Won 16 Drawn 1 Lost 5
Points for 573 Points against 444
Tries for 52 Tries against 42
Try bonus 6 Losing bonus 2
Total points 74

Highest league position 1
Lowest league position 4
Final league position 1

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

Related Articles:

• Sale Sharks- The PSA Years; pt 1