By Sarah Braide
February 6 2003

Sale didn't beat the Western Stormers on Tuesday but the side, containing many young Jets players, put in a great effort against an experienced team and was in the lead right up to injury time. Though the score looks like a comfortable win for the South African side, Sale were actually in then lead right up to injury time when the Stormers managed a converted try and a penalty.

Piet van Zyl scored for the Stormers early on but the scrappy nature of the game led to their prop Daan Human and second row Rob Lind both being sent off in the final ten minutes of the first half. Sale capitalised and Jos Baxendell scored a try that Richard Wigglesworth converted.

Sale started the second half strongly, putting the South Africans under pressure in their own half. We tended to opt for line-outs on the occasion when we were awarded kickable penalties and it was unlucky that they did not pay off. But there was a lot of good play from the likes of Richard Wilkes and Vaughan Going and on the whole Sale looked impressive against the Super 12 side.

Mass substutions around the 70th minute saw many of the younger players come on. Though Sale managed to hang on to their lead until minutes before the whistle, it was more of a struggle and the defence finally buckled under a Stormers counter-attack. Eddie Andrews scored a try and Gaffie du Toit converted, resulting in the final score you see above.

Not a win but an enjoyable match anyway, and a fair result. There is plenty more comment on the Jets v Stormers thread of the messageboard.

Sale team: Vaughan Going, Chris Mayor, Chris Jones (Chris Briers, 62), Mel Deane, Aiden Phillipson (James Hoyle, 72), Jos Baxendell (Warren Spragg, 68), Richard Wigglesworth (Joe Bedford, 68), Jim Thorp (Alex Gluth, 68), Charl Marais (Johnny Roddam, 68), Stuart Turner (Matt Parr, 62), Iain Fullarton (Christian Day, 62), Paul Arnold, Apollo Perelini (capt), Phil Davies, Richard Wilks.