This after the outside-half had banged over a magnificent 40-metre penalty in a tricky wind that ensured
Posted in General on 19. Oct, 2010
This after the outside-half had banged over a magnificent 40-metre penalty in a tricky wind that ensured Wasps required at least a try to win the game with only a minute of normal time remaining.They never made it. Seemingly hemmed in on the right touch-line, Hodgson slid the ball forward for Anthony Elliott to touch down in the corner. Two minutes later, with Wasps still rubbing their eyes in disbelief, Hodgson repeated the trick on the other wing for Steve Hanley to score his second try. Hodgson’s conversions had earned him 18 points and a standing ovation.
He deserved the lot.Having squandered three, if not four, perfectly good try-scoring chances in the opening quarter, Sale could have no complaints as Wasps built up a healthy lead with two tries by Martin Offiah in what is expected to be his last game for the club. Paul Sampson grabbed their third try, while Phil Greening, once of Sale, amused the crowd with his attempts to appear a serious goal-kicker.With Alan Dickens claiming Sale’s only try of the half, a conversion and two penalties from Hodgson meant the away side went in 20-13 to the good. Then, apart from Lewsey’s valedictory contribution, it was goodbye Wasps, hello Hodgson.Sale: Tries Dickens, Sanderson, Hanley 2, Elliott; Conversions Hodgson 3; Penalties Hodgson 4. Wasps: Tries Offiah 2, Sampson, Lewsey; Conversions Greening 2; Penalty GreeningSale: V Going (J Robinson, 52); A Elliott, J Baxendell, M Deane (D Harris, 52), S Hanley; C Hodgson, A Dickens (B Redpath, 47); A Black (A Turner, 58), C Marais (A Titterrell, 58), B Stewart, S Lines, C Jones, A Perelini (S Pinkerton, 47, M Giacheri, 68), R Wilks, A Sanderson (capt).Wasps: P Sampson; M Roberts (W Wigram, 76), S Abbott, M Denney, M Offiah (M Leek, 63); J Lewsey, M Wood (M Friay, 72); C Dowd (A McKenzie, 54), T Leota, W Green, S Shaw, I Jones (capt), J Worsley, P Greening, M Lock.Referee: T Spreadbury (Longwell Green, Somerset).. Virtually every chief executive and director of rugby in the English Premiership has publicly defended the spellbindingly flawed Zurich Championship, otherwise known as the end-of-season play-offs or, more accurately, the Tin Pot Trophy. But defending a tournament and actively supporting it are two very different concepts. London Irish, who have enjoyed their most successful campaign of the professional era, fielded an entire second XV against Northampton in yesterday’s quarter-final at the Madejski Stadium, thereby giving their supporters the perfect excuse to go drinking elsewhere.
If that statistic fails to strike a chord with the architects of this sporting folly, they must have cement for brains. Forget the old chestnut about not being able to fool all of the people all of the time. The Zurich Championship cannot fool any of the people any of the time.It certainly does not fool Wayne Smith, the Northampton coach, who fairly tore into both London Irish and the tournament. “How do you prepare to play a side who are not taking the competition seriously?” the New Zealander asked, with complete justification.