September 16, 2023
Round Three in Rugby’s National League One saw Sale FC make the three-hour, 160 mile journey to Kingsey Road.
Sale FC are under the same ownership as Sale Sharks, the professional side of the club, but are separately run, with the Sharks being ring-fenced. They finished the 2022/23 season in third place in the National League One table, just one point behind champions Cambridge and with only three losses. They came second the season before, five points adrift of Caldy.
Consequently, Sale were expected to be challenging once again for promotion this season but have unexpectedly started with two defeats. On the opening day, they slipped to a narrow 19-23 loss at newly promoted Leicester Lions, and then perhaps a little more surprisingly fell to a 21-28 home defeat to Darlington Mowden Park, who had lost at Chinnor on the opening day.
There have been whispers that Sale have been weakened by the Rugby World Cup and the new Premiership Rugby Cup, reducing the number of dual registered or loan players from Sale Sharks, who will join once the World Cup is over.
Comparing the players who played for Sale at Chinnor last season against those who have played in their first two games of this season, the notable absentees were prop Callum Ford, and locks Ben Bamber and Alex Groves, all of whom played for Sale Sharks in the Premiership Rugby Cup. Also, fly-half Kieran Wilkinson has joined Leicester Tigers whilst wing Callum Morris has dropped down a division to play for Lymm.
However, with Neville Edwards, Mark Dixon, Matthew Bradley, Fergus Mulchrone, Thomas Brady and Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas still with the club, it still looked a formidable back division, and there was also plenty of experience in the forwards with Andrew Hughes, Stone Priestley-Nagle, Dan Birchall, Jake Barron, Ryan Parkinson and Joshua Brown to call upon. They clearly looked to be in a false position in, admittedly, the early league table.
This was Sale’s fifth visit to Kingsey Road, with Chinnor winning the first three meetings, although Sale broke their duck with an emphatic 38-19 win last year, as covered by these diaries.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2022/10/chinnor-18-37-sale-att-tbc-national.html
For today’s game, prop Callum Ford returned from Sale Sharks, and flanker Harrison Crowe started on loan from Caldy.
Chinnor followed their opening day victory over Darlington Mowden Park with a tough fixture at local rivals Rams, played on the Friday night under floodlights. After an impressive 50 minutes they led 19-7 against last season’s runners-up, but Rams came on strong in the final 30 minutes and a try in the 80th minute deprived Chinnor of even a losing bonus point, as Rams took the score to 29-19. Chinnor would regret some missed opportunities when they were on top in the first half, but a similar performance today might be sufficient to earn their second win of the season.
South African full-back/wing Kieran Goss was making his 150th appearance for Chinnor after first joining on loan from Cornish Pirates in 2015/16 and by my count had scored 57 tries during his time at the club.
The weather at the 15.00 kick-off time was sunny, with temperatures around 23 degrees and the infamous Chinnor breeze was absent.
The building work to extend the clubhouse balcony had now been completed, and the scoreboard bar had been removed and replaced by a construction at the Showground end that doubles as potentially a hospitality suite, with a balcony and a bar.
Sale kicked off, but failed to make any ground, and Chinnor returned to half-way, and stole the line-out on half-way. Browning coming off his opposite wing fed Bourton with a neat pass to break towards the Sale 22 but the pass to Goss was spilt in the tackle. The line-out though was awarded to Chinnor, and after several drives towards the Sale try-line they eventually cross the white-wash with prop Keston Lines credited with the score. The attempted straight-forward conversion from Bourton wad dragged left of the posts so it was 5-0 to Chinnor with three minutes played.
Sale responded with a box-kick from scrum-half Bradley being dropped by opposite number Carter, and Chinnor’s forwards were caught offside playing the loose ball. Sale kicked to the corner, and after securing possession at the line-out their backs went right then left with making any progress, and when their forwards started to drive for the line, they were held-up and pinged for not releasing.
Play subsequently became bitty as both sides were unable to sustain any periods of pressure and the referee frequently penalized both sides. Sale won a penalty near half-way for a high tackle but Chinnor defended well to win turnover ball. A lively Sale counter-attack was illegally halted and the following penalty was kicked to 5 metres. However, they infringed at the line-out to give Chinnor the scrum, from which Bourton fed Pressman with a lovely pass, but the ex-DMP man decided to go for the Samoan side-step rather than release Goss for a run down the wing, and was brutally tackled.
With 16 minutes played, Chinnor full-back Feeney waltzed through the heart of the Sale defence but his pass to Carter was dropped with the try-line at his mercy.
The game then went through a period of scrum penalties to Sale and Chinnor stealing the line-outs, or Sale infringing at the line-out, or Chinnor infringing at their line-outs. It was all very stop-start as both sides made far too many errors.
After Chinnor stole another line-out they dropped the ball in mid-field and the Sale hack ahead went close to the Chinnor try line, but the move ended with a knock-on from Bradley.
Play continued to be scrappy, as Sale were caught off-side from the scrum 5 metres from the Chinnor line, but Chinnor’s box kick was claimed by Sale on their 10 metre line and they won another penalty.
Sale squandered another line-out, this time not straight, and then conceded a scrum penalty for wheeling the scrum. Chinnor returned the errors by being penalized for crossing, and then conceded another penalty close to the half-way line. At this point the referee call both captains together to warn both about the high penalty count.
The visitors kicked a penalty to within 10 metres of the Chinnor try-line but again the home defence was strong and halted the driving maul to win the put-in at the next scrum. However, the ill-discipline continued as Sale won a penalty at the scrum and the following rolling maul from the 5 metre line-out was stopped illegally, but from the subsequent 5 metre line-out, Chinnor won a penalty.
From the following line-out, Carter’s box kick was claimed by Browning but the on-loan Leicester Tigers winger was flattened in mid-air, with Sale winger Tom Walsh being shown the yellow card with 37 minutes on the clock.
Chinnor full-back Feeney sent a tremendous kick from a tight angle into the corner, and from the line-out the Chinnor pack rumbled over, with hooker Walker being credited with the try. This time Bourton converted to take the score to 12-0 and the half-time whistle blew shortly afterward.
The first half had been error strewn, and the man-of-the-match up to that point had been the referee’s whistle as it had been called into action too often. Was this two top teams cancelling each other out, or just two poor teams ? It was hard to tell……………
Any hopes that the second half might be an improvement were initially dashed as Chinnor infringed on half-way. Sale kicked into the Chinnor 22 but after several phases Hughes knocked on. Sale quickly returned to the Chinnor 22, but Goss produced a much needed tackle on wing Edwards, and the home side won turnover ball.
The home side then progressed deep into Sale territory and Goss was able to beat Edwards to dive over in the corner to extend Chinnor’s lead. Bourton’s conversion again slid wide but it was now 17-0 with 46 minutes played.
Shortly after the restart, Sale dropped the ball in their backs and Chinnor fly-hacked up-field close to the try-line but they were penalized for going over the top and preventing the release of the ball.
After 50 minutes Browning again appeared to be taken out in the air but this time the referee allowed play to continue. From where I was standing it looked to be a poor decision, and Sale subsequently won a penalty close to half-way. However, the kick to the corner failed to find touch and Chinnor were able to kick up to their 10 metre line.
Sale then had a penalty advantage and put the ball through the hands of their backs, but Browning defended well. Chinnor again defended well and won a penalty to clear their lines, and from a flowing move, fly-half Nick Smith crossed to extend the lead and give the home side the try bonus point. Bourton’s conversion attempt was poor so it remained 22-0 after 55 minutes.
With a comfortable lead, Chinnor seemed to relax and pinned Sale into their own half, and after another decent move and some drives close to the try line, Passman beat the cover to score close to the posts, and Bourton’s conversion increased the lead to 29-0 after 67 minutes.
The second half from Chinnor had been so much better than the first, and Sale were reduced to kicking to touch for a line-out midway in the Chinnor half simply to get out of their half.
With 10 minutes remaining, Sale wing Edwards failed to gather a box-kick but the visitors managed to recycle the ball to advance to the Chinnor 10 metre, but again the home defence was good and won the put-in at the scrum.
A Chinnor kick ahead was knocked on by Sale in their own half, which just about summed up their day. With ball in hand, Chinnor spread wide and Browning scooted past two defenders down the touch line, but Edwards made the try saving tackle.
Sale kicked away possession from inside their 22 but Feeney made the catch and stepped inside the covering defenders to run under the posts. Bourton’s conversion extended the score to 36-0, and the referee blew for full time a minute early according to the scoreboard clock, but nobody seemed to mind too much.
It was a hard match to gauge the relative performances of the two sides. Both sides were poor in the first half, but Chinnor improved in the second period and deserved their 5 point victory, and can point to a clean sheet as evidence of their defensive strength. Sale probably need the World Cup to end quickly, otherwise they potential face a difficult season.
Highlights : https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=297003339725679
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