Sharks end the reign of Wasps

Sale Sharks booked a spot in the final of the Guinness Premiership courtesy of a clinical 22-12 semi-final victory over London Wasps at Edgeley Park on Sunday.

Shark Attack: Robinson slips through on the way to the line

England fly-half Charlie Hodgson produced a flawless kicking performance with six from six giving him a 17-point haul, while Jason Robinson scored the only try of the game - a sublime 50-metre effort in the 31st minute.

Wasps, the champions for the last three seasons, looked bereft of ideas and energy after last week's titanic struggle with Gloucester, and they had no answer to Hodgson's superb management of the game and a dogged performance from the home side's forwards.

Wasps changed their half-backs an hour before the kick-off, which would have had the Sale contingent wondering if it was a forced change or if it signified a change in tactics.

But there were not many perceptible tactics to be seen from either side in the first half, bar the kicking.

Both teams regarded the respective opposing defences as impenetrable from the off, and the fly-halves resorted to a variety of woolly kicks which were largely ineffective. There was no trace of any inventive backline play from either team beyond the standard centre charges and pops.

There was plenty of kicking, and there was plenty of muscle too. France and Sale flank Sebastian Chabal treated all those watching to that rarest of sights - Lawrence Dallaglio having his backside impressed into the turf.

Dallaglio was not the only one to feel the heat. Tom Voyce departed injured after 24 minutes, Jason White wandered around listlessly for ten minutes after a tackle he had made, and Hodgson could not deliver any of his kicks without wincing in pain after he was felled by Simon Shaw in the opening 20 minutes of proceedings.

Penalties and tight play margins separated the teams at the break, plus the electric try from Robinson ten minutes before the half-time whistle. It was a real moment of nostalgia from the former England wing, who rolled back the years with a red-hot burst of acceleration past Daniel Leo and Fraser Waters and then rounded Mark van Gisbergen with sheer speed before steaming to the line.

Aside from those seven points, Sale led by three penalties to one, which was about right given the balance. Sale also led by six turnovers to three, a statistic which seriously undermined Wasps' possessional superiority.

In the set-pieces too, Sale were ahead, losing not a single scrum or line-out. Wasps conceded a free-kick at one of their own scrums, and every single one on their own put-in needed to be reset. They also lost three of their own line-outs, and Mark van Gisbergen missed two kicks where Hodgson was faultless.

Sale had the lead after just 48 seconds, with White pouncing on a kick-off no Wasp had claimed, and the speed of the recycled ball caught the Wasps backs offside. Hodgson kicked for the lead.

Four minutes later Wasps were level after Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe came round the side of a maul following a half-break by Staunton. Van Gisbergen kicked that, but missed an easier one five minutes later.

Hodgson made it 6-3 when Richard Birkett was caught doing the same as Lobbe, and extended the lead to 9-3 on twenty minutes when Peter Bracken was caught killing the ball. Robinson's try extended the lead, and Van Gisbergen missed a sitter in front of the posts before the whistle. Seriously try-threatening action in the first half was at a real premium.

The teams started the second half as they had the first, swapping quick penalties. Both were for offside, but the call on Reddan was harsh, with the Irish scrum-half pinged as he scampered away having intercepted a pass.

At 19-6 though, Sale looked well in control. Wasps were losing line-outs and still coughing up the occasional jewel of open-play turnover.

Mark Cueto returned the restart from Sale's penalty for some 70m, and only an uncharacteristic dropped pass by Robinson saved the visitors after two more phases.

Van Gisbergen pulled back a penalty after five minutes of stolid Wasps forward build-up play to make it 19-9, but Cueto once again made a break in the phases after the restart, and this time it took some desperate scrambled defence to stop Elvis Seveali'i going for the corner.

Where Wasps saved themselves was in not giving away penalties as Sale did. The hosts looked more threatening with ball in hand, but were more prone to illegalities out of it - the overall penalty count after an hour was 12-7 in favour of the champions.

Thus, as Van Gisbergen landed his fourth to make it 19-12 and the game entered the final quarter, the question that hung in the air was which would prevail: Sale's more invigorating enterprise or ruthless Wasps exploitation?

In the end, neither really. The game remained tight, physical, and unrelenting up front, but in a manner befitting both potential and reigning champions, neither defence showed any likelihood of cracking.

Eventually a strong scrum and subsequent 12-man maul yielded a penalty for Hodgson to kick for a 22-12 lead, and that was it. Sale held on to the ball, the lead and, possibly, the Premiership crown.

Man of the match: Many blue-shirted players are in the frame; Mark Cueto was the liveliest of all the three-quarters, Jason Robinson was solid at the back, and Charlie Hodgson controlled the game excellently. For Wasps, Simon Shaw was energetic, as was prop Peter Bracken. Mark van Gisbergen was far more lively than any of his backline colleagues. But the award has to go to a Sale forward, more specifically to one of the back row whose tackling kept Wasps shackled very much in the manner of the Scots in the recent Calcutta Cup. Jason White led it, Sebastian Chabal fired it up, but Magnus Lund was the one who tackled, supported, ran, and turned-over the most - and he gets the gong for this game.

The scorers:

For Sale Sharks:
Try: Robinson
Con: Hodgson
Pens: Hodgson 5

For London Wasps:
Pens: Van Gisbergen 4

The teams:

Sale Sharks: 15 Jason Robinson, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Mark Taylor, 12 Elvis Seveali’i, 11 Oriol Ripol, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Sililo Martens, 8 Sebastien Chabal, 7 Magnus Lund, 6 Jason White, 5 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 4 Chris Jones, 3 Stuart Turner, 2 Andy Titterrell, 1 Lionel Faure.
Replacements: 16 Sebastien Bruno, 17 Barry Stewart, 18 Dean Schofield, 19 Christian Day, 20 Ben Foden, 21 Valentin Courrent, 22 Chris Mayor 

London Wasps: 15 Mark Van Gisbergen, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Josh Lewsey, 12 Stuart Abbott, 11 Tom Voyce, 10 Alex King, 9 Matt Dawson, 8 Lawrence Dallaglio, 7 Joe Worsley, 6 Dan Leo, 5 Richard Birkett, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Peter Bracken, 2 Joe Ward, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 Raphaël Ibañez, 17 Justin Va’a, 18 Mark Lock, 19 James Haskell, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Jeremy Staunton, 22 Fraser Waters.

Referee: Chris White
Touch judges: Bob Mullis, Robin Goodliffe
Assessor: Colin High
TMO: Tony Turner
Timekeeper: David Matthews