05-08-2010, 02:44 PM
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#19 (permalink)
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Pensacola, FL
Posts: 588
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Harlequins v Sale:
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Harlequins ended the Guinness Premiership season with a 35-20 victory over Sale Sharks at The Stoop which had all the elements of their campaign, a mixture of the superb and the very ordinary.
In the end, however, they fully deserved to wrap up the season with a victory - with late determination proving decisive. However, they failed to achieve their target of a top six finish. For former champions Sale, a campaign spent fighting to stave off relegation can also hardly be regarded as a successful season for the former champions.
It was a special day for wing David Strettle and hooker Tani Fuga - both playing their final games for Harlequins. England wing Strettle is joining Saracens while Fuga has become a free agent.
The hosts lost lock James Percival after only two minutes. He was hurt in an open play tackle and left the field on a stretcher after three minutes treatment to be replaced by Tomas Vallejos. But two minutes later the mood in the home camp was a lot lighter as George Lowe raced clear up the left to open the scoring in fine style with a try created for him by Jordan Turner-Hall. Fly-half Nick Evans missed the conversion.
With six minutes gone Quins went 12-0 up when Evans produced a splendidly accurate cross-kick which Strettle plucked out of the air wide on the right to score from close range. This time Evans made no mistake for the extra two points.
Sale gained in confidence and their continued pressure was finally rewarded when Hodgson converted a straightforward penalty from in front of the posts on 20 minutes. However, the former England fly-half left the field two minutes later looking very groggy after needing treatment following a tackle.
The game tilted the visitors' way when referee White sin-binned Vallejos for a deliberate obstruction in the 28th minute. Sale needed only two minutes more to capitalise. England centre Mathew Tait won possession on halfway and beat three opponents in a tremendous solo run that took him behind the posts. Lee Thomas converted to make the score 12-10 at the interval.
Having exerted all the pressure early in the second half Quins fell behind to a sucker punch in the 47th minute. Sale looked to have lost momentum when an attack broke down but when the ball was scrambled back to Thomas the centre produced a tremendous snap drop-goal to edge the visitors in front for the first time.
To make matters worse for the hosts they lost influential fly-half Evans to a thigh strain minutes later leaving replacement Rory Clegg to begin his involvement by taking a penalty. However, the youngster kept his nerve and regained the lead for Quins.
After a spell of cat-and-mouse kicking from end to end the hosts stepped up a gear in the 59th minute. The hugely impressive Strettle began the move with a darting break from inside his own half and by the time Nick Easter burst in on the right to score Quins' third try, the ball passed through eight pairs of hands. Clegg missed the conversion.
Quins extended their lead in the 69th minute when Sale were penalised for not retreating 10 yards as Clegg kicked the penalty without fuss. But the visitors refused to lie down and were back in the hunt three minutes later when a period of sustained pressure was rewarded when the pack drove over Sisaro Koyamaibole. The conversion by Thomas reduced the lead to three points.
However, Quins were determined the end the season on a high and struck twice in the last six minutes. Turner-Hall clenched the bonus points when he scored the fourth try, Clegg converting, then - with the last attack of the match - Tom Williams crossed to conclude the scoring.
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Bath v Leeds:
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Bath set up a mouth-watering Guinness Premiership play-off semi-final with Leicester Tigers courtesy of a commanding 39-3 victory over Leeds Carnegie at the Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoon.
First half tries by Nick Abendanon and Michael Claassens sent Bath on their way to an 11th victory in 12 league games since Christmas. A 17-point interval advantage was extended after the break through wing Matt Banahan's touchdown, a brilliant second Abendanon try and a Joe Maddock score, while Olly Barkley kicked four conversions and added two penalties.
Leeds mustered a solitary Ceiron Thomas penalty in reply after being outclassed throughout the contest. While Leicester lose rarely at home - and they knocked Bath out of Premiership and Heineken Cup contention last term - the west country club will not be short of confidence. After collecting just 12 points from their first 10 Premiership games, Bath took 49 in the next 12, suggesting confidence will not be an issue when they head to the east midlands.
Bath last lifted the league title in 1996, but they are a transformed team since Christmas and Leicester will underestimate them at their peril. The Tigers can, though, reflect on a 43-20 victory over Bath five weeks ago, which will give them confidence in terms of reaching the Premiership final at Twickenham on May 29.
England squad member Shontayne Hape lined up in Bath's midfield hoping to press his claims for the summer tour of Australia and New Zealand before Martin Johnson's squad announcement on Tuesday. Leeds, meanwhile, fielded 13 of the side that secured Premiership safety by condemning Worcester to last place with their narrow victory over them a fortnight ago.
Maddock led Bath out on his final home appearance before moving to Italy next term, but the home side suffered an early injury blow when England hooker Lee Mears went off injured. Mears was replaced by South African Pieter Dixon, and Bath took time to settle as they were hindered by several unforced handling errors.
Leeds encountered few problems keeping Bath out, although veteran lock Danny Grewcock was denied a try when the video referee ruled he had failed to touch the ball down under a pile of bodies. And it was a prelude to Bath breaking the deadlock as they made their temporary one-man advantage count after Leeds scrum-half Andy Gomarsall, playing his last club game ahead of retirement, was sin-binned for a technical infringement.
Bath retained field position after Grewcock's near miss, and quickly recycled possession enabled Abendanon to cross, with Barkley converting from the touchline. Leeds were struggling to keep Bath out, and a Barkley penalty made it 10-0 ahead of an injury to referee Martin Fox that saw him replaced by David Rose.
Bath, without ever threatening to find top gear, extended their lead as half-time approached when skipper Claassens shredded Leeds' blindside defence for an opportunist score. Barkley converted, and Leeds were down and out at 17-0 adrift, with Bath halfway towards mission accomplished.
Leeds had no answer in the second period, being unlocked by Barkley's midfield craft that created a score for Banahan, then Abendanon dummied a pass to flanker Andy Beattie before finishing off a high-paced handling move that clinched a bonus point. Leeds had entered damage-limitation mode, and it was just a case of how many more points Bath would score as they completed their Premiership home programme.
Maddock sprinted over for try number five, and the final whistle could not come soon enough for a Leeds side high on commitment, but excruciatingly short in terms of attacking endeavour.
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And next week's semifinals are set:
Northampton v Saracens
Leicester v Bath
with the winners to face off in the finale two weeks later. |
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