This is another must win game for Sale. If we want to put the playoff spot out of the reach of Leicester Lions and Sedgley Park as well as pushing toward a home draw for the playoff, we need to get at least 4 points against a tricky 11th placed Harrogate team. Four of Harrogate’s eight victories this season have arrived in 2017, so they are on a bit of a roll.
In late October we managed the full five points, with tries from Joe “Donut” Kelly, Tom Ailes, Jack Moorhouse and Scott Rawlings. The first session was an even affair with the teams coming in 13-13 at halftime. The set piece struggled with Harrogate’s power at times, as well as the referee’s interpretations of the scrum, but eventually we pulled away in the final 20. More of the same this weekend should see us with a clear pathway to the playoff, but, this league is a tough place and we can’t be complacent.