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Sale Sharks are hoping to turn up the heat on the Newport Gwent Dragons at the top of Challenge Cup Pool 2 by piling more misery on Pau. - 14/01/2016 11:14
Sale Sharks are hoping to turn up the heat on the Newport Gwent Dragons at the top of Challenge Cup Pool 2 by piling more misery on Pau.
The Aviva Premiership side have won three consecutive matches since their opening round defeat at the Newport Gwent Dragons. Home and away victories over Castres and a triumph over Pau has put the Sharks right back in contention to seal a spot in the last eight.
Pau have endured a nightmare pool stage and go into round five without a single point. Usually so strong at home, they have suffered defeats to Newport Gwent Dragons and Castres at Stade du Hameau in the last two weeks. Steve Diamond’s men will be hoping to heap more misery on the Top14 newcomers to set up a crunch encounter with Newport Gwent Dragons at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Director of rugby Steve Diamond said: “We've put ourselves in a good position, and it's down to us to qualify for the quarter-finals now. If we can get the victory at Pau on Friday, it comes down to a big game next Thursday (21st January) against the Dragons at the AJ Bell Stadium.
“I think it will be a similar Pau side that faced us earlier in the competition. They'll be a difficult side to play against.
He added: “It will be a strong starting side, and an English bench – they've got us to this stage so we'll maintain that. We need to get these two games done and won and give ourselves momentum.
“It's a big couple of weeks for us, to win away in Pau will be difficult and then whatever the result is in Pau, will factor on the significance of our game against Dragons next Thursday.”
Match Facts
- The spoils are split evenly between these sides from four past clashes, though both of Pau’s wins came in the 1999/2000 tournament.
- Pau have won four of their six home fixtures against English clubs in the Challenge Cup, including a 30-12 win against Sale in November 1999.
- Sale Sharks have won five of their last seven away games in the Challenge Cup, three of those victories were against French opposition.
- Sale Sharks have won their last five games against teams from France, though three of those wins have been by margins of nine points or less.
Loin du compte en European Rugby Challenge Cup
Johnny Leota kept alive Sale Sharks hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup by crossing for a vital bonus-point try a minute from time in Pau.
The Aviva Premiership side ran in three tries in a dominant first-half performance and looked all set to romp to the full five points in the second half at Stade du Hameau to keep up the pressure on Pool 5 leaders Newport Gwent Dragons.
But the home side, chasing their first win of the campaign, stuck to their guns after the break and made life increasingly difficult for Sale. So much so, in fact, it looked as though the visitors were going to leave without the bonus-point they craved.
But cometh the hour, cometh the man and Samoan international centre Leota came up with the goods with a try wide out on the left to ensure the five points were made secure to set up a big game at the AJ Bell Stadium against the Dragons next weekend.
The Sharks, who beat Pau in the Challenge Cup final in Oxford in 2005, got off to a flying start when their Russian lock Andrei Ostrikov scored with only a minute showing on the clock. Danny Cipriani added the conversion and then paved the way for wing Nev Edwards to cross when the outside half took a quick tap penalty 26 minutes into the game.
This time Cipriani was wide with his conversion attempt, but he hit the mark twice before the break as Sale pile on the pressure and the points. He added the extras to a third try from Will Addison and then landed a penalty to make it 22-3 at the break.
The only points for the home side in the first 40 minutes came from a penalty from Samuel Marques, but they managed to frustrate Sale until the final minute.
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