Agen Winners, but Eliminated

So said the headline in the Garonne Valley Le Petit Bleu, equivalent of our “Pink”. Agen is a difficult place to win any rugby game, and so it proved on Saturday evening. SU Agen beat Sale, but could only reduce the points differential from 16 to 14, leaving Sale winners of the tie by 49-35 on aggregate, and semi-finalists in the European Challenge Cup.

Once again the few, the lucky few, the band of Sale’s travelling supporters, made their way to the south of France for a European tie. As the Major memorably said, those with “no jobs and bottomless pockets” took to the skies over the continent, flying in via Carcassonne, Bordeaux and Toulouse. By car, coach and train they made their way to Agen. And among them this time was the Major himself, who, every time this reporter saw him at least, was wearing a silly grin of pure enjoyment! And no wonder.

Sale’s preparation for this vital tie had been interrupted. The team has had a ‘flu-like bug in the camp, and this caused the withdrawal of inspirational skipper Jason Robinson, too ill to even make the flight. PSA took 26 of the squad with him to cover for all eventualities, and the team showed at least two changes from that announced on Thursday. Mark Cueto went to fullback (where he put in a strong display), Hanley was restored to the wing, and John Carter took over from Magnus Lund at openside. Jason White was handed the captaincy. Yet Le Petit Bleu had a story to tell regarding the source of the infection. François Gelez, who travelled to Stockport last week, but through illness had to give up his No. 10 jersey at the last minute, “took great care to leave his virus with Jason”. Biological warfare comes to the ECC!

Agen are not the irresistable force they have been in times past. They sit 8^th in the Top16, having won 8 and lost 7, and Stade Armandie is no longer the irreducible fortress it was even a season ago. The team seem disaffected, with the fans lacking faith in the trainer. The team put out against Sale was not their strongest, and in some ways experimental. Stoltz, the South African now qualified residentially for France, was selected as captain, and Caucau, the superfast Fijian with the physique of a prop, was named on the wing. Gelez, recovered, was back at flyhalf.

As the daylight died away on Saturday, around 4,000 expectant supporters strolled down Agen’s avenues to the stadium, under ‘daylight’ floodlights that came from the opposite end of the brilliancy spectrum to those of Heywood Road. Saucisse baguettes were consumed to provide a solid base for the liquid intake, the SUA shop was examined for likely souvenirs, and your reporter bought a bottle of diet coke. No, not a complaint about the price this time, but it arrived capless! On querying the barman, he said it was to prevent the cap being thrown - at whom I never did find out, the pitch, the ref, the Agen team, the Sale team, or even, heaven forfend, the press! Passionate about their rugby, the Agennais!

As is usual in France, the ground was excellent. The pitch was well-grassed but wet, and cut up a little during the game. It was cold, with a hint of mist in the air, but there was very little breeze to disturb the kickers. Agen, playing in white, kicked off, and Chabal, who was prominent in the early exchanges, caught and drove. It was immediately obvious that the home side was looking to dominate up front, and that Sale had prepared for that. On Agen’s first possession, Koulemine, their Russian lock took the ball up strongly, crouching low. There was a shuddering collision as he was stopped in his tracks by Schoey, setting the standard for the game.

From the outset, the various types of sharks sitting in the stands kept up their noisy support, often outshouting the locals. Sale worked their way upfield through another Chabal charge and won a scrum just outside the home 22. Agen were penalised for collapsing, and Charlie, in a surprising silence, coolly stroked the ball home. Agen came back in a hurry and 4 minutes later, driving into the Sharks’ 22, caught Sale offside. Agen ran it but were forced into touch. Sale gave away another penalty, and this time Gelez equalised.

The game flowed back the visitors’ way and Cueto put in a long run deep into Agennais territory. Penalised for holding on, the touch judge reversed the decision for stamping, and Charlie (or Sharlay ‘odgsonne as the breathy French lady announcer would have it) bisected the posts. Sale were ahead again, and were soon on the attack. From a driving lineout Carter broke clear, and Wiggy, angling towards the corner was forced into touch 3 metres short.

On 20 minutes, Bruno went to the blood bin with a cut, being replaced by Titterrell, who was soon tackling deep in his own half. From a free kick, the ball was spun into midfield where Agen commenced a rolling maul. The Sale pack fought hard to contain it, and as it approached the line the ball was released. Tandonnet spun it quickly right and Stoltz crashed over to regain the lead. Gelez converted and Agen led 10-6.

Play continued to ebb and flow, and in the 28th minute Agen threw into a lineout on their own 10 metre line. Giles’s attempted clearance was charged down by Carter, and he caught the rebound and charged for the try line. Caught just short the ball was moved left for Titterrell to appear to score, but Scots referee M Changleng ruled that Carter had knocked on. Bruno reappeared after Titterrell’s cameo to take his place in the subsequent 5 metre scrum, and Agen survived.

Five minutes later that man Sea Bass was back on the charge, bouncing off opponents, or dragging them with him. At the ruck, the Agen forwards dived in and were penalised. Sharlay stepped up, and from 35 metres, cut the lead by three points. This time the crowd were not silent – the ref was penalising Agen and Sale were racking up the points.

Chabal took the kick off in the 5 metre channel and was forced into touch. Inexplicably, Mr Changleng spent time lecturing Stoltz, yet awarded the penalty to Agen. Gelez kicked to the corner, and from the lineout Agen fired up their driving maul. Seemingly stopped short of the line, Califano broke through to score, driven over by Narjissi. Gelez converted.

At this stage Agen was leading by 17-9, and half time was barely two minutes away. The game sat on a knife-edge. Eight points of the deficit had been recovered by the men from the Garonne Valley, and they showed signs of re-emerging in the second half with their tails up to knock off the rest. As PSA said, you can lose points against French clubs, particularly Agen, very quickly indeed! But Sale had other ideas. Their mental toughness showed as they set off into enemy territory, Chabal carrying again. The SUA tackler failed to roll away, and Charlie stepped up to take the kick 40 metres out, a minute into injury time at the half. To a rain of whistles the ball flew high between the posts, and Sale went into halftime having reduced Agen’s lead to 12-17.

Sale had defended well, although they’d given away two tries to the driving maul. The Sharks, despite going close, had been unable to cross the Agen line, but had pressured them sufficiently  for SU to give away 4 penalties, all of which Charlie converted. Agen were defending well, and seemed to rely on the power play, the driving maul to set off their attack. The playmakers in the Agen team seemed unable to create space for Caucau, or more importantly, get the ball to him early.

The Sale players retook the field in dribs and drabs, outwardly without much energy, Chabal only just making the pitch before kick off. But appearances were deceptive, the boys were revitalised for the half to come. Agen swapped their hookers with Rué coming on for Narjissi, and two minutes later Sale were pressing in the Agen 22 when they were penalised for offside. Full-on whistling was now the order of the day as Charlie kicked his fifth penalty and Sale were in touching distance of Agen at 15-17.

Seven minutes into the second half, the visitors made their first substitution, as Carter, who had taken a knock in the first half, was replaced by Lund. Sale continued to take the game to SUA. Charlie had a drop goal attempt charged down in the 50th minute, and both Hanley and Todd went close, but could not breach the home defence. With half an hour to go the atmosphere was tense, with PSA pacing up and down in front of the tribune. The Sale supporters were getting hoarser by the minute, and your reporter was warning the French lady in front of him before letting fly with another roar.

On 53 minutes Agen sent on fresh legs. Califano left the field, shaking his head to his colleagues in the stand, to be replaced by Castellina, Mathieu Lièvremont took over from Persico, and Fèvre was substituted by Dellape. Agen attacked strongly, and Sale were forced to concede another eminently kickable penalty. Focussed on the points differential, Agen opted to kick to the corner, and the athletic Chris Jones promptly nicked their lineout ball. Wiggy put in the clearance and Caucau tried to keep it in as he tiptoed down the line. The linesman’s flag went up, and the whistles shrilled out. The French support was rattled!

The Sale pack now started to exert a dominance over the French eight, as Chabal and Schoey pilfered more lineout ball. The SU front row were stood up twice, turned through 180 to lose the put-in (Sheriden immense at this point) and then penalised for driving in. Agen were forcing the kickable odd penalty out of the Sharks, but kicked to the corners, often being turned over in the process. Had they kicked the penalty goals they would have been much closer on aggregate.

Substitutions, as is now standard, came and went. Barrau replaced Tandonnet on 61 minutes, Elhorga for Bonetti on 65, Turner replaced Stewart at the same time, and four minutes later Chris Jones gave way to Chris Day. Titterrell reappeared on 72 minutes to give Bruno some rest. The replacements had more effect on Agen than Sale, as they continued to suffer up front.

The play swayed backwards and forwards. Caucau took a pop pass from his flyhalf and met Mr White’s broad shoulder. Lafforge replaced Larguet and was immediately held up over the line by Sale. The Agen pack applied themselves at the 5m scrum, but only succeeded in attracting a penalty for pulling down.

Ben Foden replaced Wiggy for the last minute of normal time, and the Sale forwards nicked two lines-out, and took a scrum against the head. Just time for a forty metre run from Caucau, scythed down (for the second time in the game) by the evergreen Jos Baxendell. Nick Johnson appeared on the touchline bawling “two minutes!” left in injury time. Three successive kicks to touch by Sale and it was all over. Agen had won by 17-15.

SUA had been prevented from scoring in the second half by a very strong Sale defence, and the Sharks’ pack had won enough of the forward exchanges to dominate by the end of the game. Try as they might though the team could not force the ball over the line by muscle or by guile, which will worry PSA. Sale had lost the battle but won the war 49-35. They left the field looking pale and drained, acknowledging the supporters. When congratulated later, they seemed surprised that we were content with the result. But we were aware of the necessity of keeping Agen at arms length, of preserving the lead as long as possible, of not allowing them to gain the necessary momentum. The team achieved that by playing rugby, putting up a stalwart defence (preventing any score in the second half) and dictating the forward exchanges.

Stoltz was Agen’s Man of the Match, as captain he led the defensive line, scored the first try, and ran hard and straight at the Sale defence. Following their gigantic effort, a forward had to be Man of the Match for the visitors. White led from the front and was in the thick of it, Chabal provided a great deal of go-forward, but Sheriden carried well, cleared the rucks, and used his enormous strength allied to his ever-improving technique to disrupt the Agennais scrum at a critical stage in the proceedings. Sheri was the supporters’ choice.

The Major’s silly grin proved as contagious as the ‘flu virus. By the end of game all the Sale supporters had caught it! A spontaneous round of

broke out. The travelling support reluctantly drifted away, making for alcoholic refreshment. The last word belongs to a Frenchman. In the market on Sunday morning, Mrs Pitprop was buying that Agennais speciality, prunes, when the stall holder told us that the Sale forwards were “formidable!”

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