CorpAq Stadium, Heywood Road, Sale
Continue reading “Rugby”
Tag: rugby
View from the Birtles: Sale Sharks v Saracens (F)
I’m planning on going to some women’s matches this season, if they’re at home on a free weekend, so I thought I might as well do some reports as well.
I say reports – it’s going to take me a while to get to recognise players, so early efforts may be a bit sketchy. Alternatively, I may make them primarily photo essays, like this one.
Anyway, start as you mean to go on, so I popped down to Heywood Road to watch the pre-season friendly match against Saracens.
First half, Sale were… not good. They were bullied in the pack and made too, too many basic errors. The kicking was uninspiring, too, with many kicks flubbling along a low trajectory like an arthritic pigeon.
We got a massive improvement in the second half, though. The pack started doing a bit of pushing around itself, the kicking was much crisper and the overall play was much more promising.
Sarries won by loads to a few*, but this was just a pre-season game, so it’s not worth reading too much into it. I’ll reserve judgement until after the opening game against Worcester on the 4th September.
Meanwhile, here are some pictures.
* 12-50, apparently…
View from the armchair: Exeter 40 Sale 30
Back in the mists of time, when Dimes first returned to take over at a struggling club, there was much talk of “year zero” in the rebuilding process. This season, for the first time since then, I get a real feeling that this genuinely is year zero and that we will look back on this year as a foretaste of the greatness to come.
Continue reading “View from the armchair: Exeter 40 Sale 30”
View from the armchair: Exeter 20 Sale 19
It’s the difference between the hardened, been-there-done-that, old lags and the up-and-coming challengers. Under the cosh, suffer a crippling blow, but still pull something out of the bag.
Continue reading “View from the armchair: Exeter 20 Sale 19”
View from the south stand: Sale 45 Harlequins 12
I call them ‘meringue games’: a big win, looks good, but somewhat unsatisfying. When the opposition isn’t up for it, or has essentially surrendered before the start, it takes the gloss off of what should be a celebration.
Continue reading “View from the south stand: Sale 45 Harlequins 12”
View from the south stand: Sale 22 Bristol 12
One year, two months and twenty-two days. Sixty-four weeks. Four hundred and forty-eight days. It’s been a long time, but I’m finally watching a game of rugby from the south stand of the AJ Bell.
Continue reading “View from the south stand: Sale 22 Bristol 12”
View from the armchair: Bath 20 Sale 24
It did occur to me to just copy/paste last week’s report and then I’d have time to fix a coffee and kick back for a while. But then I thought I ought to at least change a couple of words to reflect some important differences.
Continue reading “View from the armchair: Bath 20 Sale 24”
View from the armchair: Sale 26 Leicester 10
Well, that was less comfortable than maybe it should have been but less bum-clenchingly tense than it could have been.
Continue reading “View from the armchair: Sale 26 Leicester 10”
View from the armchair: Worcester 32 Sale 35
They’re going to send me to an early grave, I swear. How many more times this season are we going to end up watching from behind the sofa, heart racing, buttocks clenched fit to crack a walnut?
Continue reading “View from the armchair: Worcester 32 Sale 35”
View from the armchair: Sale 25 Gloucester 22
Call it The Axe Factor: there has been a noticeable change in the team over the last three months. It’s not something that’s easy to describe, either; it’s about demeanour, attitude – intangibles that you can’t quite point to and say “that”, but it’s there nonetheless.
Continue reading “View from the armchair: Sale 25 Gloucester 22”
an old grey dog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.