London Welsh made it back-to-back Aviva Premiership wins with a performance that bordered on heroic at times against Sale, and condemned the Sharks to a fourth straight defeat.
Many of this latest crop to don the London Welsh jersey weren’t even born when the club last tasted victory over Sale – a 30-7 win in 1983 – but hell bent on proving that last week’s victory over Exeter Chiefs was no fluke, the Exiles took their chances and then tackled like demons.
It was an immense performance. Just five days after Welsh’s historic victory over the Chiefs, Lyn Jones’ men were at it again – no apple cart is safe as the Exiles defied more odds, and proved more of their doubters wrong.
Further proof, if any were needed, that last year’s Championship winners have no intention of meekly retreating from whence they came, at a quicker rate of knots than it took them to arrive.
It was a victory build on solid foundations. Jonathan Mills’ try and eight points from the boot of Gordon Ross saw Welsh lead 13-0 after ten minutes. Welsh were in dreamland.
It was also a welcome break from the norm. In each of their opening three Premiership games, Welsh had obligingly allowed their opponents a two try head start. Not this time.
Three Danny Cipriani penalties dragged the home side back into the game, but Ed Jackson’s second try in a week and the boot of Ross saw the Exiles take a 23-9 lead into half-time.
Ross added his fourth penalty before relentless pressure from the home side yielded a try for Tom Brady. When MacLeod added a penalty a converted try was all that separated the sides, but Ross’ successful penalty with the last kick of the game secured the win for Welsh and deprived the Sharks the consolation of a bonus point.
Keen to pick up from we’d they’d left off against the Chiefs, a knock from the kick-off by Sale, followed by a penalty, allowed Welsh to do just that. Ross made no mistake and was soon adding the conversion to Mills’ try - the Welsh captain trudging his way over from close range after Nick Scott’s perfectly weighted kick had forced Sale to concede a lineout in their own 22.
Cipriani was off target with his first attempt at the posts and Ross extended the Welsh lead after Sonny Parker had scooped up a loose ball and Jackson surged up field.
Worryingly the penalty count was growing against Welsh and Cipriani chipped away at the lead with three successive penalties. The last was followed, however, by a steadying riposte from Ross with the Exiles going back to route one for their second try.
Tom Arscott made the initial break, finding a hole in the Sharks’ line where none seemed possible. Once into the 22, the Welsh forwards took over, but clearly sensing they had the measure of their Sharks counterparts, the Exiles kept it tight, kept their composure and were eventually rewarded when Jackson went over for his second try in five days.
Crucially Welsh would withstand a spell of late pressure from the home side and headed back to their dressing room content with their first 40 minutes work, but knowing that they would need to dig even deeper in the second half.
Welsh’s determination to keep the ball in hand took the sting out of Sale’s early thrust, and the visitors claimed the first points of the half courtesy of Ross’ fourth penalty with the home side penalised at a scrum.
The Exiles couldn’t build on it, though, as Sale camped themselves in the Welsh 22. Time and time again the home side looked destined to breach the Welsh line, only to be repelled by some truly heroic defence. Welsh defended their line as if their very lives depended upon it – in some ways they did, their Premiership lives at least.
The pressure eventually told when Sale changed tact and went wide and Brady crossed. Nick MacLeod added an excellent conversion from the left hand touchline and when the replacement fly half added a penalty the Welsh lead was down to seven and a nervy finish was now unavoidable.
There was still time for one last throw of the dice from Sale, but a penalty to Welsh at a scrum with less than a minute on the clock was the cue for celebrations. By the time Ross put boot to ball the clock had reached zero, and with it went Sale’s losing bonus point.
Sale Sharks:
Tries: Brady; Cons: MacLeod; Pens: Cipriani (3), MacLeod.
London Welsh:
Tries: Mills, Jackson; Cons: Ross (2); Pens: Ross (5).
Half-time: 9-23
Referee: Greg Garner
Referee Assistants: Paul Burton & Alan Hughes
Full-time: Sale Sharks 19-29 London Welsh
80+12min: PEN Sale Sharks 19-29 London Welsh (Ross)
80+10min: Welsh scrum....penalty to Welsh and that will be it!
80+9min: Knock on by Sale in their own half....1:36 left on the countdown clock
80+5min: Welsh keeping it tight but they don't use it and it's a scrum to Sale, with 3:29 left on the countdown clock
80+4min: Steel by Jackson and Welsh have it back
80+3min: Welsh drive up to the line...but a little knock on and now Sale have penalty...MacLeod to touch
80+1min: Good carry by Tonga'uiha...Welsh into the 22
80min: Ross' kick is pulled to the left of posts
80min: Penalty to Welsh....Ross for the posts. Welsh need this
79min: PEN Sale Sharks 19-26 London Welsh (MacLeod)
77min: Penalty to Sale....they go for the posts
73min: Break by Tonga'uiha but he tries to chip the last man and Sale get lucky and the ball breaks kindly for them
72min: It looks like we're in for a tense one here...
70min: It's stolen and away come Sale again...Browne goes down on a loose ball but it's a scrum to Welsh anyway on half way
68min: It's been all Sale since Ross' second half penalty.....Welsh get a valuable penalty in their own half and Ross finds touch
65min: CON Sale Sharks 16-26 London Welsh (MacLeod)
64min: TRY Sale Sharks 14-26 London Welsh (Brady)
Huge pressure from Sale and some huge defence from the Exiles. Until Sale go wide and Brady gets over in the corner...big test for Welsh now
59min: Sale back on the attack again....and Welsh putting in the tackles. Penalty to Sale.....it's right in front but they go for the corner
56min: Big scrum....Sale go blind and Welsh get the penalty as Sale go in at the side. Big moment that
53min: Huge pressure from Sale...they're right on the Welsh line...it's another penalty to Sale
51min: Long kick down field, Arscott goes back and he's deemed to have knocked on...great chance this for Sale with a five-metre scrum
50min: PEN Sale Sharks 9-26 London Welsh (Ross)
49min: Knock on by Sale at the lineout...Welsh scrum...Welsh get the penalty and it's kickable
47min: Cipriani finds touch from the scrum just outside his own 22
46min: The ball is ripped out of the tackle by Sale, but it's given as a knock on by Welsh! Tough luck on Welsh that and a let off for Sale
45min: MacKenzie break...Welsh into the 22....
44min: Welsh scrum....Welsh break through Parker....Welsh keeping it in hand
43min: Ward and Powell on the charge into the Welsh 22, but there's a little knock on in there
42min: Ross finds touch....Sale lineout
8:59pm: Cipriani gets the second half started
Half-time: Sale Sharks 9-23 London Welsh
44min: Sale really raising the tempo, but Welsh are really putting the tackles in. A knock on and that's half time
42min: What defence from Welsh, that was brilliant! Sale tried to batter their way up and were inches short, but Welsh pushed them back and eventually forced the knock on. Keats finds touch. 11 seconds to go in the half
39min: Scrum to Sale in Welsh 22 straight from the kick-off....great tackling from Welsh....Cipriani tries a grubber but MacKenzie is there....another Sale scrum though
37min: CON Sale Sharks 9-23 London Welsh (Ross)
36min: TRY Sale Sharks 9-21 London Welsh (Jackson)
The Welsh forwards force their way over for a second time
32min: Good kick by Arscott and MacKenzie chases and gets a hand on the clearance kick, but it's a Sale lineout
31min: Knock on by Ward...scrum Welsh on half way
30min: PEN Sale Sharks 9-16 London Welsh (Ross)
Ross hits straight back to Welsh
28min: PEN Sale Sharks 9-13 London Welsh (Cipriani)
27min: Another Sale penalty....this one is right in front
26min: Penalty to Sale at the scrum....Cipriani to touch about 30 metres out
25min: Knock on by MacKenzie under a high ball....Welsh just need to get their hands on the ball and take the sting out of the home side after those two penalties
24min: Keats' kick causes probs for Cueto and he picks it up with his foot on the line....Sale get the throw
22min: PEN Sale Sharks 6-13 London Welsh (Cipriani)
19min: PEN Sale Sharks 3-13 London Welsh (Cipriani)
15min: The rain is really coming down now
14min: Welsh take a mark and that a great kick down into the Sale 22
14min: Sale penalty and Peel takes a quick tap penalty and races into the Welsh 22, but he slips and Welsh scramble well with Keats having it away - best moment for Sale so far
13min: Sale scrum but it's a free kick to Welsh....but the kick to touch is out on the full. Welsh don't want to give away silly errors and let Sale back into this one
11min: PEN Sale Sharks 0-13 London Welsh (Ross)
10min: Penalty chance for Welsh after Parker picked up a loose ball and fed Jackson to take play into the Sale 22
7min: Chance for a reply from Sale straight from the restart, but Cipriani's penalty attempt is wide
5min: CON Sale Sharks 0-10 London Welsh (Ross)
4min: TRY Sale Sharks 0-8 London Welsh (Mills)
The forwards drive it up to the line and Mills goes over - what a start for Welsh
3min: Briggs break, Scott grubber and Sale forced to concede lineout in own 22
2min: PEN Sale Sharks 0-3 London Welsh (Ross)
1min: Knock on by Sale at the kick-off and that becomes a penalty....first chance of posts to Welsh
8:01pm: Gordon Ross gets this Round 4 Aviva Premiership fixture underway
7:59pm: Tonight's game will be preceded by a minute's silence for Ulster's Nevin Spence, who was tragically killed last weekend, along with his father and brother, in an accident on the family farm and for the two police women shot dead in Manchester
7.58pm: Here comes the home side, led by captain David Seymour
7:58pm: Jonathan Mills leads out London Welsh
7:55pm: Rain accompanied our journey up the M6, but it's relented in the last two hours or so. Which team adjusts better to the wet conditions underfoot could be a factor though
7:50pm: Team news
London Welsh head coach Lyn Jones makes just one enforced change for this Round 4 fixture at the Salford City Stadium, with Michael Hills replacing the injured Mike Denbee at openside for what will be his first competitive appearance of the
season.
Captain Jonathan Mills has recovered from the facial injury he sustained last Sunday to again lead the side.
On the bench, Dan Williamson replaces Alfie To’oala, who picked up a knock in training, while scrum half cover is provided by Nick Runciman, who replaces Jonah Holmes. Ryan Davis, on trial with the club, could make his first-team debut tonight, having played against Harlquins in the sides' recent A League meeting.
Welsh will line up with two former Sharks in their starting XV, in hooker Neil Briggs and Hills.
Briggs joined Sale in 2005 from Rotherham Titans and spent six seasons at the club before leaving to join Bourgoin in 2011.
Hills came through the Sale Academy before establishing himself in the first-team squad. He joined Welsh from Sale in 2009 and will make his 73rd appearance for the Exiles on Friday. Welsh's technical adviser Kingsley Jones is also no stranger to the Sharks, have spent several years at the club as coach.
Sharks’ Director of Rugby Bryan welcomes back Andy Powell and Mark Easter to his starting VX. Ross Harrison, Tony Buckley and Corne Uys are included on the bench.
SALE SHARKS: 15. Rob Miller, 14. Tom Brady, 13. Johnny Leota, 12. Sam Tuitupou, 11. Mark Cueto, 10. Danny Cipriani, 9. Dwayne Peel, 1. Eifion Lewis-Roberts, 2. Joe Ward, 3. Vadim Cobilas, 4. Richie Gray, 5. Kearnan Myall, 6. Mark Easter, 7. David Seymour (c), 8. Andy Powell.
Replacements: 16. Tommy Taylor, 17. Ross Harrison, 18. Tony Buckley, 19. Fraser McKenzie, 20. Richie Vernon, 21. Will Cliff, 22. Nick Macleod, 23. Corne Uys.
LONDON WELSH: 15. Tom Arscott, 14. Phil MacKenzie, 13. Sonny Parker, 12. Hudson Tonga’uiha, 11. Nick Scott, 10. Gordon Ross, 9. Tyson Keats, 1. Franck Montanella, 2. Neil Briggs, 3. Paulica Ion, 4. Matt Corker, 5. Jonathan Mills ©, 6. Daniel Browne, 7. Michael Hills, 8. Ed Jackson.
Replacements: 16. 16. Dan George, 17. Tom Bristow, 18. Arthur Joly, 19. Kirill Kulemin, 20. Ed Williamson, 21. Nick Runciman, 22. Ryan Davis, 23. Seb Jewell.
Match officials
Referee: Greg Garner
Assistant referees: Paul Burton & Andrew Small
7:45pm:
Can London Welsh back up last Sunday's historic victory last weekend over Exeter Chiefs at the Kassam Stadium, and leave Sale Sharks winless after four rounds? That's the question London Welsh supporters are asking ahead of tonight's clash at the Salford City Stadium.
It's a tough ask and the Exiles will need to address their liking for giving their opponents a two try head start - a trend of their opening three games against Leicester, Harlequins and the Chiefs. The home side are sure to be intent of
repeating that trend.
Sale are the only side in the Aviva Premiership to have registered fewer points than the Exiles (36 compared to Welsh's 41) and they've also conceded one point more - 103 compared to Welsh's 102. All of which suggests we could be in for a very close encounter this evening.
While the Exiles go into this Round 4 fixture on the back of 'that' win over Exeter, Sale were suffering a similar fate at the Twickenham Stoop to that dished out by the champions to Welsh a few short weeks ago. The Sharks going down 37-14.
The Sharks' only point so far coming at home to Saracens, in a game they lost 23-16.
It's also 23 years since the sides' last meet - that produced a 16-9 win for Sale in January 1989 in Courage League Division 2. Welsh's last win over Sale was in January 1983 - a 30-7 victory.
Sale Sharks v London Welsh
Aviva Premiership
Friday 21st September, 2012
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