Dad'll Be Happy - Sale Match Report
By MrsGoz
March 27 2006
As a long-time Sale supporter, my Dad was torn when I spoke to him on Friday. He obviously wanted Sale to win but wasn’t convinced they would. Fortunately for me, he hadn’t come down for the weekend, no one needs a smug relative!
March 27 2006
As a long-time Sale supporter, my Dad was torn when I spoke to him on Friday. He obviously wanted Sale to win but wasn’t convinced they would. Fortunately for me, he hadn’t come down for the weekend, no one needs a smug relative!
Pre-match - Decorating the Casey Clan with sparkly shamrocks – good!
Blues Brothers – Fantastic
Pork roll – delicious
Match
With anticipation almost tangible, Mr Davey blew the whistle to start what turned out to be a pretty good match. OK the end result wasn’t what any of the home support/players/coaches would have chosen but when I was lamenting the result after the match it did occur to me just how much better the St Patrick’s match was this year than in any other at the Madstad.
Within the 1st ten minutes the boots of Hodgson (C) and Flutey had given an indication of the day they were going to have. Hodgson (C) slotted a penalty through the posts and Flutey slotted his round them. So there we were, 0-3 but with real energy coming from the Irish players. Only a matter of minutes later Sailosi Tagicakibau stripped Sales flanker of the ball pelted up the field steamed round Robinson and scored our 1st try. The east stand went wild, Robinson went off and Flutey missed the conversion. Before we had time to enjoy the 5-3 score line, Mr Davey felt it necessary to penalise Irish. Apparently he doesn’t feel there’s any place for ‘going in at the side’ on a rugby pitch. Hodgson (C) of course managed to slot the ball neatly between the posts to give us a slightly less palatable score of 5-6.
Mr Davey also feels that pulling down a rolling maul is bad form and penalised Sale for doing just that; Irish opted for a kick to the corner – game on, I thought to myself. The line-out won saw the ball spin out to the arms of Flutey who steamed over for our 2nd try. Again the conversion attempt went wide but the score was a more palatable 10-6. Not for long. Mr Davey penalised us for something in the ruck (look, it’s not easy to pick up all the detail and drum and have to listen to halfwit supporters braying like the asses they almost certainly are each time an opposition player has a ‘moment’) and Hodgson (C) of course maximised the opportunity to bring the score to 10-9.
The 3rd try for the home side was a thing of great beauty. Delon collected a rather dubious throw one-handed - and what looked like behind his back – before streaking up the pitch, chipping ahead, collecting the ball – which had bounced beautifully for him – and flying over the line. The less said about the conversion the better, 15-9!
An Irish scrum in our own half seemed to struggle and when Mr Davey saw our front row pop up like prairie dogs he was forced to penalise us, which of course resulted in 3 more points from the boot of Hodgson (C) – 15-12 and that was the end of the half.
Sale’s 1st try came shortly after the break and from a rolling maul. Hodgson (C) was never going to miss the conversion so the score went to a very unpalatable 15-19. Mr Davey however doesn’t tolerate ball killers and so penalised Sale moments later. This time it was Catt who sent the ball wide. I reckon someone nobbled our boots…
Cueto tripped over one of the squidgey triangle things while trying to prevent the ball from going to touch and the resulting injury ended his game – I hope both he and Robinson are not seriously hurt and are back with their team as soon as possible. Shortly after that Mr Davey penalised Sale for something I missed and Catt sent the ball, correctly this time, between the two posts, 18-19!
Holding on to the ball is a selfish act and one which Mr Davey doesn’t like to see on his field of play, even if you are the only member of your team in the vicinity. Luckily for us it was Sale who were guilty and again Catt sent the ball through the posts to make it 21-19.
It seemed like forever with no score but with about 10 minutes left on the clock Sale hoofed the ball up field and won the chase to reach it, the ball swung out wide to Hanley and was grounded in the corner. Hodgson (C) took a leaf out of Flutey’s book and missed the conversion attempt. 21-24.
Hanley rather uncharitably – given that this was our BIG game – then repeated his feat in the dying moments, Hodgson (C) again missed the extras and Mr Davey played his solitary note to signal the end of the match. Final score Irish 21-29 Sale.
As the 19,883 (or something near to that) supporters made their way out to the entertainment and the rain I was left to ponder the match and the result. We made mistakes, and so did Sale. We played with flair and passion, and so did Sale. We missed some key players, and so did Sale (particularly once Robinson and Cueto went off) and I think we deserved some points, but so did Sale.
Our team can hold their head up; this game was so far away from the St Pats fixture of last year and the year before, and the one before that. With the team we have and the coaches we have, the future is ours for the taking and I for one am most definitely going to take my (reserved) seat and be there when we do it.
An honourable mention must go to Digger. He really is the mutt’s nuts and the comedy moments with the inflatable shark and the digger-esque microphone were worth the entrance fee alone!!
Post match - Le Cheile(?) – good
Weather – miserable
Fireworks – so that’s what a damp squib looks like!
Blues Brothers – Fantastic
Pork roll – delicious
Match
With anticipation almost tangible, Mr Davey blew the whistle to start what turned out to be a pretty good match. OK the end result wasn’t what any of the home support/players/coaches would have chosen but when I was lamenting the result after the match it did occur to me just how much better the St Patrick’s match was this year than in any other at the Madstad.
Within the 1st ten minutes the boots of Hodgson (C) and Flutey had given an indication of the day they were going to have. Hodgson (C) slotted a penalty through the posts and Flutey slotted his round them. So there we were, 0-3 but with real energy coming from the Irish players. Only a matter of minutes later Sailosi Tagicakibau stripped Sales flanker of the ball pelted up the field steamed round Robinson and scored our 1st try. The east stand went wild, Robinson went off and Flutey missed the conversion. Before we had time to enjoy the 5-3 score line, Mr Davey felt it necessary to penalise Irish. Apparently he doesn’t feel there’s any place for ‘going in at the side’ on a rugby pitch. Hodgson (C) of course managed to slot the ball neatly between the posts to give us a slightly less palatable score of 5-6.
Mr Davey also feels that pulling down a rolling maul is bad form and penalised Sale for doing just that; Irish opted for a kick to the corner – game on, I thought to myself. The line-out won saw the ball spin out to the arms of Flutey who steamed over for our 2nd try. Again the conversion attempt went wide but the score was a more palatable 10-6. Not for long. Mr Davey penalised us for something in the ruck (look, it’s not easy to pick up all the detail and drum and have to listen to halfwit supporters braying like the asses they almost certainly are each time an opposition player has a ‘moment’) and Hodgson (C) of course maximised the opportunity to bring the score to 10-9.
The 3rd try for the home side was a thing of great beauty. Delon collected a rather dubious throw one-handed - and what looked like behind his back – before streaking up the pitch, chipping ahead, collecting the ball – which had bounced beautifully for him – and flying over the line. The less said about the conversion the better, 15-9!
An Irish scrum in our own half seemed to struggle and when Mr Davey saw our front row pop up like prairie dogs he was forced to penalise us, which of course resulted in 3 more points from the boot of Hodgson (C) – 15-12 and that was the end of the half.
Sale’s 1st try came shortly after the break and from a rolling maul. Hodgson (C) was never going to miss the conversion so the score went to a very unpalatable 15-19. Mr Davey however doesn’t tolerate ball killers and so penalised Sale moments later. This time it was Catt who sent the ball wide. I reckon someone nobbled our boots…
Cueto tripped over one of the squidgey triangle things while trying to prevent the ball from going to touch and the resulting injury ended his game – I hope both he and Robinson are not seriously hurt and are back with their team as soon as possible. Shortly after that Mr Davey penalised Sale for something I missed and Catt sent the ball, correctly this time, between the two posts, 18-19!
Holding on to the ball is a selfish act and one which Mr Davey doesn’t like to see on his field of play, even if you are the only member of your team in the vicinity. Luckily for us it was Sale who were guilty and again Catt sent the ball through the posts to make it 21-19.
It seemed like forever with no score but with about 10 minutes left on the clock Sale hoofed the ball up field and won the chase to reach it, the ball swung out wide to Hanley and was grounded in the corner. Hodgson (C) took a leaf out of Flutey’s book and missed the conversion attempt. 21-24.
Hanley rather uncharitably – given that this was our BIG game – then repeated his feat in the dying moments, Hodgson (C) again missed the extras and Mr Davey played his solitary note to signal the end of the match. Final score Irish 21-29 Sale.
As the 19,883 (or something near to that) supporters made their way out to the entertainment and the rain I was left to ponder the match and the result. We made mistakes, and so did Sale. We played with flair and passion, and so did Sale. We missed some key players, and so did Sale (particularly once Robinson and Cueto went off) and I think we deserved some points, but so did Sale.
Our team can hold their head up; this game was so far away from the St Pats fixture of last year and the year before, and the one before that. With the team we have and the coaches we have, the future is ours for the taking and I for one am most definitely going to take my (reserved) seat and be there when we do it.
An honourable mention must go to Digger. He really is the mutt’s nuts and the comedy moments with the inflatable shark and the digger-esque microphone were worth the entrance fee alone!!
Post match - Le Cheile(?) – good
Weather – miserable
Fireworks – so that’s what a damp squib looks like!
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