Sharks grab crucial win
Sale eased their relegation fears with a 17-3 victory over fellow strugglers Worcester at Edgeley Park
Last Updated: 02/04/10 10:15pm
Sale eased their relegation fears with a 17-3 victory over fellow strugglers Worcester at Edgeley Park.
The Warriors remain the only team in the Premiership without an away win this season, failing to find any cutting edge despite dominating possession and territory for long periods.
The Sharks seemed content to soak up Worcester's largely lateral attacks with a solid line of defence, then took their chances when they came.
Charlie Hodgson kicked two penalties and two drop-goals, while Mark Cueto ended his long try drought with a score in the corner 15 minutes from time.
Worcester could reply only with a Willie Walker penalty after missing three penalty attempts in the first half.
Sale's lineout struggled from the outset and Worcester should have turned that advantage into points early on, only for Chris Pennell and then Walker to miss from distance.
Sale had to wait 27 minutes to break the deadlock and the score came off the back of an error from Chris Latham.
The veteran former Wallabies full-back missed touch with a penalty and after Sale cleared and stole the subsequent lineout, Worcester slowed the ball down and Hodgson punished them.
Impressive
England centre Mathew Tait was particularly impressive throughout and his quick break up the middle earned Sale good position for Hodgson to pop over a simple drop-goal from close range.
Worcester should have halved the deficit five minutes from the break after Sale were caught offside at a ruck, but Walker missed a simple penalty chance from almost in front.
As it was, Sale added to their first-half haul, Hodgson firing over a brilliant drop-goal under pressure from 30 metres out for a 9-0 interval lead.
Walker finally got the visitors on the board with the simplest of penalties after Sale were caught offside after more Worcester pressure, but moments later the fly-half missed with a feeble drop-goal attempt.
Tait was continuing to threaten and after another good break Hodgson stretched the lead to 12-3 on 63 minutes.
That kick crucially took Worcester out of bonus point range, and worse was quickly to follow.
Crooked
Again it was Tait who made the initial break through a crooked defensive line and Neil Briggs was in support to send Cueto over in the corner for his 68th Premiership try.
Hodgson missed the conversion attempt from out wide, but now the best Worcester could hope for was to force a bonus point.
They should have given themselves a chance but Chris Cracknell failed to get the ball down in the corner with five minutes left, under pressure from Richard Wrigglesworth.
The champions of 2006 are clawing their way to safety, but Worcester, bottom of the table and without a win since September, look in desperate trouble now.
