Sale ease to 14^th straight win

With the away fixture at Macclesfield having been postponed the week before, Sale entered the match against Otley fresh and raring to go and it didn’t take them long to open the scoring as Chris Johnson sent a soaring penalty between the uprights from almost halfway.

The first try soon followed as the forwards applied considerable pressure at a scrum and the opposing pack crumbled with the referee having no option but to give a penalty try.

The forwards were clearly straining at the leash after a week off, and one particular tackle from Rhys Davies in midfield gained audible gasps from the home crowd and probably registered more on the Richter scale than the earthquake that occurred around the same time!

The pace and power of the Sale attack was proving too much for the Yorkshiremen and Andy Hughes and Sam Stelmaszek both crossed the whitewash in quick succession following sweeping moves.

The visitors responded well with a neatly worked try of their own but this proved to be a minor hiccup as Jack Moorhouse, then Mark Lawrence finished off more incisive attacking play to stretch the lead.

HT Sale 38 Otley 5

Otley looked a different side at the start of the second half, dominating territory for a good quarter of an hour, and they were unlucky not to score a second try when the winger dropped the ball with the line in sight.

However, Sale regrouped and took control again with Gareth Rawlings sprinting from the back of a rolling maul to dive over for a sixth try.

The home side’s pack was once again proving irresistible and, when the away side failed to cope with another powerful scrum, the referee awarded a second penalty try of the match.

Sale reserved the best for last as a jet-heeled Chris Mayor left defenders in his wake on a lung busting break before the ball was recycled for Chris Johnson to score and add the simplest of conversions, taking his tally in the game to 20 points.

FT Sale 59 Otley 5

Another convincing win to keep Sale firmly in control at the top of National League 2 North with less than a third of the season to go.

Match Report

Sale victorious in the mud

Having beaten Hinckley in the battle of the top two last week, Sale took on Tynedale, the last team they had tasted defeat against back in October.

The visitors started the game well but missed a kickable penalty, and when Chris Johnson was given a similar opportunity at the other end, he made no mistake to put the blue and whites in front.

Sale quickly began to build momentum and it came as no surprise when Matt Bradley slithered through a gap in the defensive line to dive in under the posts with Chris Johnson adding the extras.

The pitch was already cutting up badly, which made the next score even more remarkable, as Jonty Rawcliffe reached his own up and under first and showed superb footie skills before touching down under the posts.

The home side’s dominance, particularly in the scrum, was rewarded when Chris Johnson converted another penalty just before half time to put the hosts in a strong position.

HT Sale 20 Tynedale 0

Sale came out for the second half in their fluorescent change strip which made identification, if not ball handling, a little easier in the increasingly deteriorating conditions.

The forwards in particular were putting in a herculean effort and this eventually paid dividends when Tom Ailes, who had literally been on the pitch for seconds, picked up from the base of a scrum and left everybody in his wake as he sprinted in for a third try.

The fourth arrived shortly afterwards as Tynedale again struggled to compete at the scrum and the referee had no option but to award a penalty try.

The men from the North East did eventually get on the scoresheet with two late unconverted tries of their own but the game was long gone as Sale secured their 13^th straight win to cement their position as league leaders.

FT Sale 34 Tynedale 10

 

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