Denny drops England hint
EDDIE JONES added a visit to the AJ Bell Stadium to his weekend itinerary yesterday.
His immediate priority was to check out the Sale back row – and messrs Ross, Curry and Beaumont played a grafting part in what turned out to be a surprisingly tight Sharks win – but there was also a reminder from Denny Solomona that he has no intention of becoming England’s forgotten man.
Chris Ashton’s arrival at the club has taken the spotlight away from Solomona. Even suspended, Ashton cannot stay out of the news. Over the weekend, Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal claimed that Ashton had only left for Sale in the summer after first demanding a pay rise to stay at Toulon a year into a three-year contract.
But Solomona showed he is not the only ex-rugby league star in the north-west with an eye for the line in scoring a 65m first-half interception try, which gave the Sharks sufficient breathing space to keep Worcester’s comeback at bay.
Second-half tries from Bryce Heem and Chris Pennell gave Sale a nervous 18 minutes to hold out but they did so to soothe some of the pain from last week’s 50-point mauling at Harlequins and leave relegation favourites Worcester still seeking their first win of the season.
“A win was important – we got a good hiding last week – but we should have put that game to bed,” said Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond. “At half-time we weren’t swinging from the chandelier. What happened was Worcester got their bcksides into gear. That’s how competitive it is in the Premiership.
“We made the mistake last week of going to Harlequins and underestimating them and got REPORTS coughed the ball up, Byron McGuigan kicked it out to end the half to thunderous cheers.
Whether the home side subconsciously thought this was job done who knows, but the control they had established evaporated after the break.
Heem barged his way over in the 47th minute and when the visitors reached 38 phases again 15 minutes later, Sale’s defence eventually cracked. Yarde was sucked in off his wing and Josh Adams’ back-hand pass slipped Pennell in for a try.
It left Sale a long period to hold on but they did. Worcester’s resilience was commendable and if a Jonny Arr try had not been ruled out by the TMO they could have stolen the game. They have a tough road this season but look up for the fight.
One area of concern is how Worcester’s Nick Schonert was allowed to return to the field after appearing to be knocked out in the first half. Director of rugby Alan Solomons claimed not to have seen the incident but Diamond did.
“He did look as if he’d had a bad knock but we trust their people know what they are doing. Safety is the key. It was strange he came back on but if he has passed the protocol, fair dos,” said Diamond.
SALE Tries: Con: Pens: WORCESTER – Tries: Con: Pen: –
BRAD SHIELDS could miss the start of England’s autumn Tests campaign after fracturing his cheekbone on his Wasps debut. The 27-year-old New Zealand-born flanker, who made his England debut against South Africa in June, is in danger of missing the Twickenham return with the Springboks on November 3 if a specialist decides he needs surgery today.
Shields was taken to hospital after being hurt in the 44th minute of Saturday’s home defeat by Exeter and will be out for up to eight weeks.
Exeter have started the season ominously, with England pair Henry Slade and Sam Simmonds both scoring twice in the 42-31 win.