Sale Sharks - Brive (19/01/2012, 19:45)

[TRF_Olyy]

Edgeley Park (19-01-2012, 19:45)

Live on Sky Sports​

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Really looking forward to this, but nervous too
Currently 3pts behind Brive, so a win (while denying them a BP) or a 5 pointer (denying them 2 bps) will put us into the quarter finals.
We lost the game in Brive, but basically didn't turn up until the second half. It's going to be a right battle, but hopefully Sale will pull through - fingers crossed the Frenchies won't know how to handle a rainy night in Stockport :lol:

Bench for Sale has an extra forward on as well (Richie Vernon in the 23 shirt) so they're obviously expecting the forwards to get stuck in a lot


It's not often Sale are on the TV either, so hopefully they put in a good showing!

 

[psychic duck]

Sale will go through even if Brive get a losing bonus point due to a far superior try count, so it really is a knockout match

Brive are struggling in the Top 14, they are not being thrashed but are not winning matches even at home at the minute,

the teams are up on http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/amlinchallengecup/fixtures/team_line_up.php

shame Cobilas isn't preferred to poor scrummagers Dickinson or Buckley

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Oddly enough Dickinson is going very well at loosehead. He's playing better for us than I've ever seen for Gloucester or Scotland.
I would, however, rather Cobilas to Buckley, though Buckley is on good form in the loose, making strong carries and offloading very well, so swings and roundabouts.
Hopefully there's not too many scrums tomorrow, though with the weather forecast (rain) I'm not holding out much hope.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Good first half so far, very tight (9 - 6 to Sale at HT).
Scrum going averagely, we've got two very crazy penalties in our favour (Buckley going backwards but then it's called for wheeling). Seymour and Jones having great games, I think if Marc Jones played in Wales he'd be very close to getting a Wales call up (if not already there). Ostrikov going well as well.



9 - 19 to Brive.
What a load of poo - Forced it far too much, little chips over kicks through etc. passes not going to hand.
Brive just had to sit back, commit nothing to the breakdown and wait to make the tackles and that's what they did.

 

[psychic duck]

watched the match, thought the match was always going to be tight in those conditions but I expected better from Sale

Miller was quite good with ball in hand, but his punting was poor MacLeod also failed to get enough territory

strange scrums, as you say Olly, Buckley was being typical Buckley in the scrum being dominated by the Georgian yet somehow came away with the penalty

Marc Jones was mixed did some good got a turnover and couple of good runs but also dropped the ball a couple of times, but you're right about him and Wales, he's offers much more than Lloyd Burns and is a lot fitter and does more work than the chubster Richie Hibbard

bad news dor McKenzie, looked as if his wrist was dangling off

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Aye, looked a nasty injury for McKenzie, terrible timing for it too with his first Six Nations looming.

 

[bounce86]

I liked Miller's style of tackling the ball with a single hand. MacLeod was disappointing; he needed to get more space in getting through.