Following Sale Sharks’ 29-7 bonus-point triumph over Racing 92, here are our five takeaways from the Champions Cup encounter at the Salford Community Stadium on Friday.
The top line
After starting their Champions Cup campaign with an away defeat at Glasgow Warriors, Sale Sharks could ill afford another reversal against their French visitors who won their first match at home against Harlequins.
The opening exchanges were cagey in Salford but the home side were slowly gaining the upper-hand and we had to wait until midway into the first half for the opening points but Sale took a deserved lead via try from Jean-Luc du Preez.
Despite that score, the rest of the half was evenly contested with Racing asking questions of the home side but Sale’s outstanding defence kept the visitors at bay.
Added to that, Sale also impressed on attack and extended their lead courtesy of a beautifully constructed try from a set-piece move which was rounded off by Tom Roebuck and although Racing struck back when Guram Gogichashvili crossed for a converted try on the stroke of half-time, the match was still in the balance.
However, Sale took control of proceedings after the interval and this was thanks to a superb all-round effort.
The hosts’ forwards and backs combined brilliantly and were rewarded with further tries from Joe Carpenter and Ben Curry while Racing’s discipline let them down badly and in the end Sale sealed a deserved victory.
Aerial battle proves decisive
From the outset both teams showed their intent by kicking for territory and while it was an even contest in that department early on, Sale eventually dominated this facet of play.
This was largely due to experienced England playmaker George Ford’s accuracy with his kicking out of hand while he received good support from the likes of Roebuck and Rob du Preez who also impressed in that department.
Meanwhile, Dan Lancaster received little support from his team-mates as he did most of the territorial kicking himself and it was often inaccurate and there were few gains for the Top 14 outfit as Joe Carpenter did well in dealing with the high balls, while he received good support from his two wingers Roebuck – who was superb in that aspect – and Tom O’Flaherty.
Du Preez brothers in fine form
Rob Du Preez has already been mentioned for his tactical kicking but he also had a solid outing when lining up shots at goal and eventually finished with a nine-point contribution, after slotting three conversions and a penalty.
Apart from that, the outside centre also impressed with ball in hand and was unlucky not to cross for a try in the game’s dying moments due to a handling error in the build up play.
Up front, his twin brothers, Jean-Luc and Dan, also caught the eye as both put in busy shifts either side of the ball and the former was rewarded with a well-taken try in the first half.
Apart from shining on attack and defence, the two back-rowers also did well at the breakdown battle where they put plenty of pressure on their opponents.
Ben Curry leads from the front
While the Du Preez twins certainly impressed with their performances, they were outshone by their back-row partner Curry whose delivered an outstanding all-round effort.
Whether it was as a ball carrier or in the execution of his defensive duties, the Sale Sharks skipper gave nothing less than a hundred per cent throughout and he proved a real handful to the visitors in both departments.
The 26-year-old was a menace on attack and his efforts were rewarded with a deserved try on the hour-mark while he emptied the tank on defence with some of his hits sending his opponents backwards at a rate of knots.
Curry’s example filtered through to the rest of his team-mateand it was not surprising when he walked off with the official man-of-the-match after this encounter.
Racing’s playmakers fail the test
We’ve already mentioned Lancaster’s failure to impress with his tactical kicking but he also battled to get his team’s attack firing on all cylinders but that was not just down to him as other more experienced team-mates were also to blame.
His half-back partner Nolann le Garrec looked lively during the opening half and his combination with South African number eight Hacjivah Dayimani asked some questions of Sale’s defence during that period but they went quiet after the interval.
It was therefore not surprising when Le Garrec and Dayimani were both replaced in the final quarter but apart from them and Lancaster, other experienced players like Henry Chavancy and ex Sale star Sam James also battled and their inefficiency on attack also contributed to their team’s downfall.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/sale-sharks-v-racing-92-five-takeaways-as-ben-curry-leads-from-the-front-in-bonus-point-win-for-hosts
