Edinburgh stun Sale with dramatic comeback victory
Edinburgh produced an excellent comeback from 12 points down to keep their Champions Cup hopes alive following a 16-15 triumph over Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Despite a decent start from the Scots, who missed the chance to go ahead via an early Jaco Van Der Walt penalty, the Sharks controlled the rest of the half.
They touched down twice via Denny Solomona and Rohan Janse Van Rensburg to open up a 12-0 advantage but the visitors would hit back impressively in the second period.
Mark Bennett crossed the whitewash to reduce the arrears before successive Van Der Walt penalties took the Murrayfield-based outfit in front.
Rob Du Preez did regain Sale’s lead but it was the Scottish side that would claim the win through Van Der Walt’s late three-pointer.
Richard Cockerill’s men have endured a disappointing season but they began this contest brightly, turning Sale over at will and causing their opponents’ usually stout rearguard some problems.
Scotland hooker Stuart McInally showed his quality in broken field, surging down the right-hand side and setting up a promising position. However, their old frailties came back to haunt them and the move did not come to anything.
Instead, it was the English outfit that opened the scoring and it came via a piece of quick-thinking from Sam James. Cockerill will also apportion plenty of blame to his side as they switched off at a line-out, allowing the full-back to find Rob Du Preez who shipped it on to Solomona to finish.
The Sharks had found their rhythm and they went over for a second try soon after. The visitors once again had defensive issues, shooting out of the line too quickly and failing to grasp hold of Janse Van Rensburg.
It proved costly as the centre spun out of the tackle and powered to the line unopposed, handing the hosts a 12-0 advantage.
With the Sharks unable to put their opponents away, Edinburgh increased the intensity in the second period, especially at the set-piece and duly got themselves back into the contest.
Hamish Watson made the initial in-roads by staying on his feet and getting to within five metres of the line before the ball was shifted right for Bennett to finish.
Van Der Walt converted and then ate into the deficit further when another scrum penalty got them into a position to attack the hosts’ defence.
Sale were beginning to implode, making rash errors and needlessly infringing. Springboks star Faf de Klerk was one such culprit, attempting to run the ball out when it was not on.
It resulted in another shot at goal for the recently-capped Scotland international and he made no mistake to give Edinburgh the lead for the first time in the match.
They had gained control of the encounter but almost contrived to concede a try when gifting possession to SAle. Sam Dugdale created the opportunity with an excellent run, linking with JP Du Preez but the second-row’s offload was deemed forward.
In a see-saw contest, Edinburgh then gave up a kickable penalty, which allowed Rob Du Preez to regain the Sharks’ advantage but there was to be another twist with 10 minutes to go.
Comments on RugbyPass
A distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
1 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
6 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
5 Go to comments