The GP Match Report Thread

[Bullitt]

30/4/06

Saints fight back against Bristol

The first minute of this game was indicative of a rather ugly first 20 minutes of rugby at the Memorial Stadium today. Paul Tupai and Mark Regan squared up to each other for a not-so friendly introduction and the forwards continued to dominate those early minutes until Bristol’s wing Marko Stanojevic brought the backs into the game with a run down his wing before he was bundled into touch.

The Saints forwards then tried to stamp their authority on the game when they stole a ball from a Bristol scrum, and Saints’ fly-half Carlos Spencer booted the ball into touch to give the visitors some breathing space. The breathing space was wasted however as Bristol were awarded a penalty when Saints brought down the maul from the ensuing lineout. Bristol’s prolific kicker Jason Strange wasted no time in putting three points on the board.

Saints then put pressure on themselves by losing their own lineout but Tupai somehow got his hands on the ball to edge themselves back into Bristol’s 22. However, the territorial gain came to nothing as wing Sean Lamont knocked on. The same was true when Ben Cohen also knocked on a pass from David Quinlan after the game had been stopped due to an injury to Bristol scrum-half Shaun Perry.

Bristol then had a chance to go over the whitewash when Mariano Sambucetti intercepted a Sam Harding pass but Daniel Browne was on hand to regain possession and to charge back downfield. Only then, 16 minutes into the game, did Saints’ backs start to threaten thanks to some hard work from the forwards. Cohen made some probing runs and Spencer was awarded a free kick just 15 metres from the try-line. It looked as if Bruce Reihana had thwarted their chance of a score with a knock-on but Bristol were called back for being offside. However, somehow Bristol did win the ball back and opted to kick it away… straight into Reihana’s waiting hands, but then he knocked on again â€" for real this time. The game was not going Saints’ way.

But Bristol had further misery to inflict on their visitors with Strange kicking his second penalty in the 25th minute and then a try coming from Stanojevic after the Bristol forwards had camped themselves in Saints’ 22 for a prolonged period. Stanojevic threatened minutes later too but then Saints started to come back, again with a Cohen run that was taken on by Lamont, Mark Robinson and Reihana. Centre Jon Clarke actually got the ball over the line but his foot had already gone into touch with the scoreboard signalling half-time. Saints ran back to the dressing room facing a 13-point deficit.

Saints’ club captain Steve Thompson replaced Dan Richmond at half-time to create a new-look front row which had already lost Pat Barnard to injury in the last minute of the first half. And as the England tour hopeful hobbled around the perimeter of the pitch on crutches, Strange lined up another penalty to take the score to 16-0.

Desperate times called for imaginative measures and when Spencer slid a grubber kick under the feet of the Bristol defence, it looked as though Saints would get their chance. Quinlan came close to scoring his first try for Saints but offloaded the ball to Lamont who came tantalising close… but not close enough. Saints continued to apply pressure but Bristol stole the ball back leaving Saints to defend once again with Mark Robinson sprinting back to cover a kick down the wing from Lee Robinson. Territorial advantage was once again in the hands of the home side.

Bristol’s Robinson threatened again with another chip-kick just minutes later but this time the ball sailed into touch. It kept the momentum going, however, as Saints continued to fail to get any foothold in this game. Their fate worsened when Harding was sent to the sin-bin. So, with a man advantage, Bristol used their forwards to good effect to drive towards the line. Their first attempt came to nought but a lineout gave them another opportunity which was heaved into touch by Saints’ desperate but effective defence.

In fact the visitors fared better a man down and were further aided by the sin-binning of Neil Clark. Lamont headed for the line but could not get there himself. That task fell to replacement hooker Steve Thompson.

Reihana missed the conversion but he did not miss a second time when he called up to duty when Lamont went over two minutes later. All of a sudden, Saints were right back in it with seven minutes remaining on the clock.

Thompson pressed for the line again, assisted by Matt Lord and Johnny Howard, and the game had begun to swing Saints’ way with a scrum 10 metres out from Bristol’s line. Cohen pounced to take the lead and Reihana got the conversion to take it to 16-19. They had left it late but they had got the job done.

But Bristol kept pressing to keep the game alivr leaving both sets of fans on tenterhooks.

--------------------------------------------------------

 

[Bullitt]

6/6/06

Falcons finish with a flourish

Newcastle's all-English side enjoyed a 54-19 victory over relegated Leeds at Kingston Park.

Rob Andrew's side of all home players was too strong for the relegated Tykes, who were dead and buried after a powerful first half blitz which saw the hosts 35-0 up.

Jonny Wilkinson was back in the starting line-up and was on target with all five of his first half conversions, to add the extras to the Falcons' five-try onslaught in the first 40 minutes.

Anthony Elliot ran in a hat-trick of tries in the rout, while his first along with scores from Mathew Tait, Ben Woods, Tom May and Mike McCarthy put Newcastle in total command, as the first all-English side in Guinness Premiership history ended the half 35-0 up and cruising.

Highly-regarded centre Tait took only a minute to get a try under his belt as he scurried in from five yards out.

The second try came on 17 minutes with young flanker Woods breaking some shaky tackles, before May added a third five minutes later in the corner.

Eliott's first was a real gem, as the full-back burst through a struggling Leeds rearguard before finishing well past opposite number Roland De Marigny.

There was still time for McCarthy to add a fifth try in first half stoppage time against a beleaguered Leeds side, with Wilkinson adding a fifth conversion after a fine first half.

Leeds did muster a rally after the interval with James Isaacson and Chris Murphy both running in tries in the 42nd and 53rd minute, but Gordon Ross could only add one conversion for 35-12.

However, the Falcons came bouncing back and Wilkinson's miss pass found Eliott who produced a winding run for his second try, although the England number ten missed that conversion.

Elliot completed his hat-trick on 69 minutes after being supplied by Ollie Phillips - who then added his name to the scoresheet with an eighth try for the home side.

Elliot added a conversion to his three-try haul, but it was Leeds who had the last say as Danny Care touched down two minutes from time.

It was still Newcastle's day, as they ended the season in style and gave some hope for the future of English rugby.

 

[Bullitt]

6/6/06

Tigers run riot over Bristol

Leicester sealed a home match in next week's Guinness Premiership semi-finals with a comprehensive 32-3 win over Bristol.

The Tigers ran in five tries in a one-sided clash at Welford Road to put themselves in prime form for a mouth-watering clash with London Irish next weekend.

Bristol turned up with little to play for and with so many starters missing from their team it always appeared to be a case of damage limitation for Richard Hill's troops.

They did manage to stand firm against the hosts for much of the opening half hour despite falling behind to an early Geordan Murphy penalty.

However, a combination of needless mistakes and the wet conditions meant Leicester had to patiently wait for the opening try of the afternoon.

In fact it took a Jason Strange penalty for Bristol to sting the hosts into life as they finally managed to turn their dominance into points.

Hooker George Chuter grabbed the first of his brace from the back of a rolling maul and that was quickly followed up by a try for Tom Varndell.

Murphy's reverse pass had set Austin Healey free and the veteran handed it on to the winger to gallop over for his 22nd score in just his 20th start.

A 13-3 score at half-time did not do justice to Leicester's dominance and it was only after the re-start that they began to carve open a tiring Bristol defence that rarely managed to get out of their own half.

Chuter's second owed much to the good work done by Alesana Tuilagi and the winger then turned from creator to scorer soon after as the Tigers sealed the bonus point with more than 20 minutes to play.

Sam Vesty, who took over kicking duties after Murphy had failed to get anywhere near the posts with two first-half attempts, fiinally slotted over Leicester's first conversion of the match at the fourth attempt.

Andy Goode arrived off the bench to show his team-mates how its supposed to be done with the boot as he added the extra points after Michael Holford had finished off a catch and drive move from a lineout.

At 32-3 it appeared the home team were on course for a half century of points, particularly when Pat Howard had the luxury of throwing on Martin Corry from the bench.

Yet the arrival of the England captain was unable to inspire Leicester to add to their tally as they had to settle for a healthy 29-point margin of victory.

 

[Bullitt]

6/6/06

Exiles secure third spot

London Irish will travel to Leicester in the play-off semi-finals after a hard-fought 30-18 win over Saracens.

The Exiles sealed third spot in the table thanks to two tries apiece from Delon Armitage (pictured) and Topsy Ojo as Sarries' Kyran Bracken bowed out after a glittering career.

And the visitors looked like it may end on a winning note when centre Dan Harris scored the first try of the game after seven minutes when he collected a pass from lock Simon Raiwalui and Glen Jackson added the extras.

The lead was up to 10 when the former Waikato fly-half added a three-pointer five minutes later before the hosts burst into life.

Richard Skuse fed Armitage with a perfectly timed pass and the full-back raced into the corner.

Jackson added a second penalty after 24 minutes to extend the lead to eight points but Riki Flutey landed one of his own two minutes later shortly before Irish were reduced to 14 men when number eight Juan Leguizamon was sent to the sin bin after pulling back Thomas Castaignede as the Frenchman looked set to pounce on his kick through.

The man disadvantage, though, spurred the home side to two tries in three minutes.

First Armitage capitalised on good work by Flutey to hack the ball on and score his second try before Ojo intercepted a pass by Jackson five minutes before the interval.

Both tries were converted by Flutey and the Exiles took a 22-13 lead into the break.

Sarries began the second half with 14 men as Raiwalui was yellow carded a minute before the interval but they also crossed when a man down when Castaignede produced a superb angled run to close the gap to four points.

Tom Ryder became the third player to be shown a yellow card when he was caught killing the ball and a minute later Bracken left the action for the final time to a rousing ovation.

Irish moved seven points ahead with a Barry Everitt penalty and Ojo sealed the win and third place with his second interception of the game.

 

[Bullitt]

6/6/06

In-form Sharks edge Saints

Sale head for the play-offs on the back of a thrilling 36-34 victory at Northampton.

The table-toppers ran in five tries and will host London Wasps next Sunday having finished 10 points clear of the defending champions.

But that will be a one-off game against the one-off specialists and the Sharks will surely have to tighten up their defence if they are to scupper Wasps' bid for a fourth straight Premiership triumph.

Sale led 26-3 in the second half, fell behind 27-26, re-took the lead, then watched a last minute penalty from Saints fly-half Bruce Reihana land short from 35 metres.

But this was a thrilling finale to the regular season, despite neither side having anything tangible to play for.

A Reihana penalty gave Saints an early lead, but Sharks roared back when Fernandez Lobbe crashed over after Charlie Hodgson put a penalty into the corner.

In the 28th minute Sale had their second score as scrum-half Ben Foden picked up a lose ball and sprinted past four defenders to the line.

The next try was set up by a trademark diagonal run from Jason Robinson (pictured), the former England captain offloading for winger Steve Hanley to score.

Sale continued in the same coruscating form after the break despite removing Charlie Hodgson, Jason White and Andy ***terell, as the livewire Froden set up substitute Valentin Courrenc with a try.

But back roared Northampton with three tries in six minutes to turn the match on its head.

The forwards drove fly-half Carlos Spencer over and when the former All Black was denied a second try illegally by Robinson, Saints took full advantage of the veteran's 10-minute spell in the sin-bin.

A slick handling move gave Reihana the chance to touch down out wide before number eight Daniel Browne crashed over in the opposite corner.

Spencer's neat pass then sent Dave Quinlan in for his first try for the club and with 10 minutes left, Saints looked set for a stirring comeback victory.

But Courrenc put Sharks ahead again with a penalty and although wingers Oriol Ripol and Ben Cohen exchanged late tries, Sale held on for a morale-boosting win

 

[Bullitt]

6/6/06

Wasps alive after late rally

Champions Wasps are still in the hunt to retain their ***le after overturning a 12-point deficit in the final quarter at Gloucester, winning 37-32 to claim a semi-final berth.

Wasps will travel to face table-toppers Sale next Sunday as as they bid for a fourth successive Premiership ***le.

Gloucester played some superb running rugby but ultimately Wasps' sheer intensity and will to win edged what was a classic encounter. The Kings once again proved they will not give up their crown without a mighty struggle.

Wasps almost nicked a score inside the first two minutes when Paul Sackey intercepted a looping pass in the Gloucester 22, only for veteran forward Peter Bracken to be penalised for holding on at the breakdown.

Gloucester were determined to use their exciting backs to out-run Wasps and the tactic paid off in blistering style after eight minutes.

Anthony Allen demonstrated how to beat the blitz defence - a wonderful shimmy leaving Josh Lewsey flat -footed - as the centre sprinted through the middle and scored from 40 metres out.

Wasps were making a nervy start and their early wobbles were summed up when skipper Lawrence Dallaglio turned down a kickable penalty on the 22 and England back row Joe Worsley immediately knocked on in the first contact.

Wasps finally got on the board after 15 minutes when Jonathan Pendleton was penalised for coming in at the side and Van Gisbergen slotted the penalty.

On 19 minutes Ryan Lamb targeted two forwards and burst through a gap in the Wasps defensive line, sprinting 60 metres into the visitors' 22.

Mike Tindall was on hand for the offload but as Lamb went for the return pass, Eoin Reddan held him back only for referee Tony Spreadbury to miss a clear infringement.

Worse was to folow for Gloucester moments later as their defence was penalised for offside and Van Gisbergen put Wasps ahead for the first time.

On 23 minutes they had their first try, a Reddan burst setting up a ruck in the shadow of the posts and Worsley showing his power to hold off three defenders to score from close range.

Wasps were beginning to turn the screw and phase after phase of pressure in the Gloucester 22 got its reward when the ball was shipped out to the left wing and Van Gisbergen cut inside, beating three defenders and jinking his way over the line.

Gloucester's plight was eased somewhat by a Lamb penalty in the closing moments of the half, and they went into the break trailing 20-8.

But Gloucester got the perfect start to the second half when Lamb drifted a kick through the Wasps defence and Allen reacted sharpest to touch down under the posts.

Even better was to follow as Lamb made it two tries in three minutes for the hosts, Gloucester running from their own 22 before the stand-off threw a wonderful dummy to beat the uprushing Joe Worsley and sprint over to the noisy delight of the Shed.

More pacy attacking play moments later earned Gloucester a penalty and Worsley a yellow card for a tug off the ball, Lamb stretching the lead to 25-20.

Gloucester survived a sustained spell of Wasps pressure then broke again in thrilling style form their own 22, James Simson Daniel sprinting past the ageing, flailing Dallaglio in midfield and sending James Bailey crashing over in the corner.

Lamb added the extras from the touchline and Kingsholm's electric atmosphere was turned up another notch.

But Wasps immediately responded with a Van Gisbergen penalty to cut the deficit to nine points and Sackey showed that the champions can produce some sparkling running rugby of their own with a cut back inside to beat Ollie Morgan and score by the sticks.

Substitute Olivier Azam came on and immediately gave a penalty away, the Fenchman coming in from the side, but Van Gisbergen's attempt slid wide of the posts.

But Wasps were not to be denied and when Tom Voyce made a half-break in midfield, Worsley (pictured) was on hand to take the offload and outsprint Morgan before sliding over under the posts.

Wasps survived the final minutes and a ***anic struggle ended in a whimper, when the outstanding Allen knocked-on as Gloucester prepared to launch their final assualt.

------------------------------------------------------

Final Table;

 

[Bullitt]

Sharks end champions reign

Sale Sharks ended Wasps' bid for a fourth consecutive Premiership ***le, beating the champions 22-12 to move themselves within one game of writing their own name on the coveted trophy.

Philippe Saint-Andre's men have been at the top of the table all season, and they overcame the ultimate test against the perennial late sprinters to book their place at Twickenham.

A trademark Jason Robinson try proved to be the difference between two evenly-matched heavyweights; the full back striking a scintillating knockout blow in the first half to give Sale what proved to be an unassailable lead.

Robinson's snaking run past Mark Van Gisbergen and Josh Lewsey summed up the Sharks' extra touch of class on a tense day at Edgeley Park, and they will now contest the final against the winners of Leicester Tigers and London Irish.

Things began to go wrong for Wasps before the match even kicked off, when England veteran Matt Dawson pulled up with a minor injury in the eleventh hour of the build-up to the contest, prompting Ian McGeechan into an undesirable double change.
Preferring to maintain his tried-and-trusted half back combinations, the Wasps boss axed both Dawson and Alex King in favour of Irish duo Jeremy Staunton and Eoin Reddan.

Despite Dawson's absence, the field still boasted a host of internationals from the home nations, and the match always seemed likely to be decided by which side won their personal duels.

One such international, the recently named Players' Player of the Year Jason White, roared out of the blocks from the opening kick-off, enabling Sale to catch their counterparts offside, handing Charlie Hodgson an easy three-point gift inside a minute.

Such a start sparked memories of Wasps' error-prone defeat to London Irish at the end of April, but the champions responded in an assured manner, keeping ball in hand to build some pressure of their own, and they were level inside five minutes through the boot of Van Gisbergen.

The territorial advantage continued to remain with the visitors in the opening exchanges, but any signs of the match settling into a predictable pattern were suddenly blown away by the fearsome figure of Sebastien Chabal.

Sale's monumental number eight stamped his way into hot water during his last encounter with Lawrence Dallaglio and Wasps, losing his cool as the champions bossed proceedings.

This time the Frenchman left his mark in far more impressive circumstances - lifting his opposite number and driving him into the Edgeley Park turf to the roars of the home support.

Moments later, the noise levels crept up another notch as Hodgson restored Sale's three-point lead, before Tom Voyce was forced to pass up a real try-scoring opportunity as a hamstring injury ended the winger's afternoon.

The England man's lack of fortune meant yet another Wasps reshuffle, with Lewsey switching to the wing, allowing Fraser Waters to slot into the midfield.

The centre's first job was to watch Hodgson extend the lead to 9-3 with his third penalty, as the champions began to concede the kind of turnovers that saw them leak nine tries in that defeat to London Irish.

Things seemed to be going Sale's way as their England stars began to win their individual duels - highlighted by Mark Cueto's unceremonial dumping of international colleague Van Gisbergen.

Magnus Lund was also gaining an upper hand over Joe Worsley in the loose, but it was Robinson who made the most telling contribution on 32 minutes.

Receiving the ball on halfway, the flying full back exploded through a seemingly non-existent gap before cruising past former teammates Van Gisbergen and Lewsey to dive over.

Hodgson's boot was typically accurate for a 16-3 lead, despite the stand-off's visible pain from a rib injury, and he was yet another Sale player to be winning his battle, as Van Gisbergen missed a hugely kickable three-pointer for the second time just before the break.

Both players added a penalty apiece to their tallies shortly after the interval, as Wasps set out to play a more expansive game in their quest to reduce the 13-point deficit.

Try-scoring opportunities continued to hide themselves from the London club, but they edged themselves back into the contest through Van Gisbergen's third successful penalty.

All of the pulse-raising moments continued to come from the Sharks though, and Cueto was proving to be particularly elusive as he twice scythed through Wasps' defensive line.

The powerful Chabal was also determined to leave his mark on as many English forwards as possible, and Simon Shaw was next to feel the Frenchman's brute force as he was floored on the touchline.

McGeechan introduced former Lion Dawson in an attempt to revive Wasps' ailing Twickenham dream, but it was Saint-Andre's Sharks that looked superior.

Lewsey and Paul Sackey both led temporary assaults on the hosts' line as the game entered its final stages, but too often the champions were pinned back by Sale's extra variation around the park.

In the closing minutes, a fifth successful penalty from the heroic Hodgson sealed the Sharks' place in the final, bringing to an end three years of Wasps domination on the domestic scene.

 

[Bullitt]

Tigers roar into ***le final

Leicester Tigers kept their unbeaten home record intact to thrash London Irish 40-8 and book a Premiership final date with Sale Sharks.

The four-time champions produced a thoroughly professional display to dominate their dangerous counterparts, and they pressed home their superiority with tries from Alesana Tuilagi, Harry Ellis, Leon Lloyd (2) and Geordan Murphy.

Irish were never able to get their dangerous counter-attacking style going, and a semi-final against the highly experienced Tigers simply proved to be a step too far after a campaign that has already surpassed all expectations.

Having won nine of their last 10 games, the Exiles were very much the form team going into the contest, but they faced the daunting task of winning at fortress Welford Road, something no side had done in the Premiership all season.
Leicester have suffered plenty of knock-out heartache this season, losing to Wasps in the Powergen Cup semi-final before being dumped out of the Heineken Cup at the hands of Bath.

However, Pat Howard's man arrived at their home ground in determined fashion, intent on making sure they would not suffer a hat-trick of big-game failures.

The match had been billed as a clash between Leicester's power and the Exiles' speed and thrust, yet the opening exchanges proved quite the opposite.

Daryl Gibson began to justify his selection after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, taking the attack to the heart of the visitors' defence from the off, and Andy Goode benefited with the first three points of the afternoon.

Irish seemed content to close the game down early on, but the indiscipline of scrum half Paul Hodgson soon opened it up, as he received 10 minutes in the bin for a stamp on the head of opposite number Ellis.

Leicester wasted no time in making their advantage pay, peppering the blindside to force Tuilagi in at the left corner. Goode's super conversion from the touchline extended the lead to 10-0.

However, Brian Smith's Irish side have played with an unshakable belief all season, and they did well to stabilise matters before hauling themselves back into the contest on 25 minutes.

First Ben Kay saw yellow for persistent infringement at the ruck, and then the Exiles quickly used the lock's absence to win the line-out and set up Olivier Magne for the try - thanks to some dynamic running from Dominic Feaunati.

Back came Leicester in an increasingly absorbing first half, and cue a stunned silence as wing sensation Tom Varndell failed to convert from five yards, due to the impressive defensive work of Sailosi Tagicakibau.

The Tigers' fans did not have to wait long for their second try though, and it was Varndell's fellow England colleague Ellis who provided a quite splendid score.

Picking up the ball close to the halfway line, the impudent half back jinked away from his tacklers to surge 40 yards to the whitewash for a magnificent solo touchdown.

Irish then went within a whisker of an immediate reply, but Lewis Moody bettered the efforts of Tagicakibau before him to halt the rampaging Feaunati a yard from Leicester's line.

Moody's determination summed up Leicester's first half showing as they dominated the tight areas, while displaying some credible rugby with ball in hand.

A 20-5 lead at half time, courtesy of a raking Goode penalty from inside his own half, did not flatter the hosts, leaving Irish with plenty to think about during the interval.

They came out fighting in the first 10 minutes of the second period, and England skipper Martin Corry felt the effects of a fired-up Exiles line-up, retiring to the blood bin with an ample covering of scarlet coming from a head wound.

The visitors narrowed the deficit to 12 points through Mike Catt, who assumed the kicking duties from the woefully inaccurate Riki Flutey, but they were always fighting an uphill struggle in front of Leicester's empowering home crowd.

That soon became a mountain on the hour mark, as Howard's substitution of Varndell for Lloyd paid instant dividends, and sparked a late buffet of tries for the home side.

When the match-clinching moment arrived, it had an ironic feel as the Tigers used Irish's own counter-attacking methods to hammer the crucial nail, with Lloyd leaping onto Catt's forced pass to race away from Tagicakibau for 28-8.

If that try owed much to sheer anticipation, Leicester's fourth score was down to unquestionable quality.

Once again Ellis was heavily involved, this time providing the perfect chip for Murphy to chase, and the Ireland full back displayed his soccer skills to flick the ball into his hands before diving over.

Irish would have been happy for the game to end there, but Lloyd took the Tigers to the 40-point mark as he converted a break from Ollie Smith, albeit after the centre's pass had missed its original target.

All that was left was the referee's full time whistle, which sparked jubilant celebrations from the crowd, and mass brawling from the players - Leicester's only loss of control in the entire afternoon.

 

[Bullitt]

27 May 06

Sharks sail to ***le at Twickenham

Sale claimed the Guinness Premiership ***le for the first time in their history as they defeated Leicester 45-20 in a thrilling final at Twickenham.

The Sharks were left singing in the rain as they became the first team to win after finishing top at the end of the regular season.

For Leicester it meant a second consecutive final disappointment as, just like against Wasps in 2005, they were outplayed on the big occasion.

Charlie Hodgson was the Tigers' tormentor in chief, kicking 23 points and setting up two tries, including Ariol Ripol's crucial score on the stroke of half-time.

Despite difficult conditions, the two teams put on an excellent match to lift the gloom of a wet May day.

There wasn't even time for the players to feel their way into the big occasion as Sale burst out of the traps with a declaration of intent that caught their opponents cold.

Straight from the kick-off their forwards looked to take control as they quickly proved they would be more-than-a match for Leicester's powerful pack.

Hodgson's early penalty stunned the Tigers and the England number 10 then combined with his international colleague Mark Cueto to get the first try.

Geordan Murphy misjudged a high crossfield kick and Cueto, attempting to leap and catch the ball himself, accidentally knocked the ball forward with his foot to allow himself to cross in the right corner.

The slice of luck was no more than Sale deserved after such a sensational start, although their joy was short lived when Leicester hit back in fortunate circumstances.

Hodgson, taking one step too many with his kick, allowed Shane Jennings to come in and charge down a clearance.

Ollie Smith hacked the ball forward and Lewis Moody gathered the loose ball before flopping over the line.

Andy Goode converted the score from the right but missed the chance to put his side ahead soon after from the opposite side of the field.

The fly-half didn't have much luck kicking out of hand either as a slice straight into touch led to Sale's second try.

Scrum half James Wigglesworth, only in the team due to Sililo Martens' torn calf muscle, had the presence of mind to kick forward after bursting free from the base of a maul and Magnus Lund picked up the loose ball to score.

Goode did slot over a penalty as Leicester finally managed to come alive and they appeared set to trail by just six at the break until a moment of brilliance from Hodgson blew the game wide open.

After Sebastian Chabal's strong run had put Sale deep in their opponents' 22, the fly-half moved back to attempt a drop goal.

But, instead of going for three, Hodgson kept the ball in hand, throwing two outrageous dummies to breach Leicester's defensive line before passing on to Ripol.

With the conversion successful, Sale headed into the changing room to dry off with one hand already on the trophy, although their grip was severely tested straight after the interval.

It needed some desperate defending to survive a Tigers onslaught, although it crucially resulted in just a Goode penalty that soon proved meaningless when Hodgson knocked over two kicks at goal to make it 29-13.

Desperate times called for desperate measures for director of rugby at Howard on the sidelines and he threw on Austin Healey to try and spark a comeback of Lazarus-type proportions, though it was the introduction of Sam Vesty that finally gave Leicester a spark in open play.

But, with the need for tries growing greater with every minute that passed, a mixture of handling errors and errant passes stopped the five-time champions finding the line as they had to accept falling at the final hurdle again.

It was fitting that Hodgson put the final nail in the Tigers' coffin with a long-range penalty that needed the help of a post to get over, and a drop goal.

Not even a late converted try for Leicester sub James Hamilton could dent Sale's spirit as another Hodgson penalty and a breakaway try from replacement Chris Mayor allowed the celebrations to start in Manchester.