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- 09/10/2006 16:56
Sale Sharks and the Ospreys are playing for survival at Edgeley Park on Saturday – and hoping for luck elsewhere.
Stade top Pool 3 and a bonus-point win over Calvisano will make the outcome irrelevant (with Stade going through as Pool winners), but if Stade struggle at home and either Sale or the Ospreys pick up a bonus point, it will throw the Pool wide open.
The Ospreys will be kicking themselves after their 22-22 draw with Stade last Sunday, but the Welsh region still have a chance of making the last eight.
“It retrospect it did not matter what happened against Stade last weekend,” said Ospreys coach Lyn Jones.
“We have to go to Manchester to win a game of rugby and this would still be the case whether we had won, drawn or lost. Sale are a much changed outfit from our last fixture, but they have a massively strong squad with Chabal, Lobbe, Bruno, Lunde and Larrechea displaying the strength in depth the top English teams all enjoy.
“All squads in this competition suffer from injuries at this stage of the season, but Sale can still field a much respected side capable of beating anyone in European rugby, particularly at Edgeley Park. We both have our agendas going into this match and we expect Sale to come out with all guns blazing.”
Sale are reeling after their horror run of injuries has continued and now robs them of Nathan Bonner-Evans and Sililo Martens for the rest of the season with a knee and shoulder injury respectively.
- 09/10/2006 16:56
The Ospreys clinched an thrilling European victory over Sale Sharks but were left holding their breath to discover their fate in the Heineken Cup.
Steve Tandy and Stefan Terblanche both scored in the first half before a brave defensive display kept the Sharks at bay.
Juan Fernandez Lobbe’s try was not enough to save Sale from crashing out of the Heineken Cup, yet victory at over the English champions is unlikely to be enough to see the Ospreys thought to the quarter-finals after failing to bag maximum points.
That was despite a dream start when Tandy and Terblanche both went over inside just eight minutes.
The Ospreys showed their intent with early breaks by Ryan Jones and Gavin Henson and both were involved in the opening score.
Jones’ lineout sent Cockbain crashing up the middle, Henson twice provided the link before Tandy was shoved over by the full weight of the Ospreys pack.
Moments later and Terblanche profited from a comedy of errors to streak through under the posts from inside his own half. The Ospreys spilled possession in attack but Sale’s Stuart Turner was tempted into a rash pass and former Springbok Terblanche caught everyone looking the wrong way. James Hook converted and added a penalty for a 15-0 lead after as many minutes.
Tempers flared and tensions rose, Andy Lloyd and Dean Schofield were binned for fighting and Chabal soon followed for stamping on Tandy as Sale were kept out by some last-ditch defending.
It was not until the 53rd minute that the Sharks finally broke the Ospreys’ resistance. Hook became the fourth player to see yellow for a professional foul after Oriol Ripol lost his footing with the try line at his mercy.
Juan Fernandez Lobbe was far more assured from a cunning set-piece move 20 yards out, splitting a Sale wall to race over untouched.
Henson replied with a penalty to nudge the Ospreys ahead but they could not get their hands on the ball for long enough to score those crucial two more tries.
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