Sanderson’s sympathy for 14-man Chiefs
SALE boss Alex Sanderson had sympathy for opponents Exeter after they had a man sent off during the Sharks’ 25-20 Gallagher Premiership victory.
The Chiefs’ Jack Yeandle was sent off with his side 12-8 ahead following tries for Facundo Cordero and Sean Lonsdale – after Byron McGuigan put the home side ahead – but they were pegged back at the interval after Bevan Rodd touched down for Sale.
Exeter continued to battle, however, and Sam Simmonds’ second-half effort put them in front, but Curtis Langdon’s try and an AJ MacGinty penalty helped the hosts secure the win on Friday night.
Despite having empathy over the dismissal – which came after five red cards last weekend – Sanderson said the rules were in place for player safety.
“It’s the way the game is at the moment, you’ve got to be so in control of your body, even when there’s mitigating circumstances,” he said.
“We had that with J-L (Jean-Luc Du Preez) where he got a yellow (against Harlequins) but it could have been a red.
“Has the needle swung too far one way? Was there intent or was it just a cleanout that went wrong? Maybe it’s got to swing back a little bit than where it is right now.
“But it’s for the right reasons so I can’t complain, it’s about player safety, so you’ve got to back those decisions from the to Yeandle. “I couldn’t hear the referee and couldn’t see the big screen from a distance,” Baxter said.
“From what I’ve been told, he went through the process of shoulder to the head with no clear grasp.
“We’ve been told that’s what happened so I can’t have any complaints if that’s the process he’s gone through and that’s what everyone has seen.
“If that’s what has happened and it’s been that clear, I can’t have any complaints about that.”
Despite having a man advantage for the whole second half, Sale had to fight for the win and Sanderson thought that the Chiefs were galvanised by the sending off.
“I’ve been in establishments with 14-men – beat Racing at home and beat Ospreys away (with Saracens) – and it focuses your mind on every play,” he added.
“The best teams can do that, Exeter can do that. We had to produce a relentless performance and for the most part I thought it was in terms of our application.
“When application rolls into ill-discipline, that’s when we can let teams back in, which is what we did.
“We’ll take that win and we can build on it. It was more of an 80-minute performance, even though the discipline let us down at times.”