Webber knows Sharks’ pack must perform to unleash League dangermen out wide
OVER four years have passed since Irishman Tony Buckley touched down for a close-range try against Cardiff Blues to give Sale their last top-tier European victory, a run stretching to 14 matches.
Even for a club with limited resources it is a dire return and few people would bank on the Sharks breaking their duck against Saracens on the evidence of the first meeting between the sides at a rain-soaked Allianz Park.
Saracens were every bit as comfortable winners as the 50-3 scoreline in their favour would suggest and it Will take a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the Pool 3 whipping boys to beat the reigning European champions at the second time of asking.
However, former England hooker Rob Webber is not ready to pull up the white flag just yet.
He told TRP: “We were very disappointed with the way we played and the result at their place, and we need to knuckle down and perform better this weekend.
“There is no easy answer. It will be tough again, we’re under no illusions about that, but it’s up to us to come up with a cunning plan to get a bit of redemption.”
Utilising Josh Charnley as an attacking force might be a good way to start. It took 37 minutes before the Wigan RL ace received a pass, and that was a hastily thrown effort from an under-pressure Tom Arscott deep inside his own half.
“A lot of credit had to go to Saracens, they are European champions for a reason and they didn’t give us an inch to get into the game, which was frustrating,” admitted the 30-year-old former Bath man.
“Our set piece wasn’t particularly sharp and we made too many mistakes and couldn’t string enough phases together in the right part of the pitch to get into our attack.
“When you’ve got good players, you need to get the ball into their hands and that’s what we are certainly trying to do.
“But there’s no point giving it to him (Charnley) when there’s a lot of defenders in front of him, we want to give him the ball when he’s got a bit of space, on the front foot.”
Had it not been for
Charnley’s exceptional trysaving tackle on Richard Wigglesworth, when he dead-lifted the scrum-half as he tried to ground the ball, Sale would have been staring at an even worse defeat. He was also exemplary under the high ball.
“He’s obviously a quality operator and that’s why we wanted to get him in,” Webber added.
“He is used to the high ball from his rugby league days and tackling is crucial in both sports. He has certainly got the skill-set, we just need to try and bring him into the game a bit more from an attacking point of view.”
Scoring points has been a problem for the Sharks in Europe. At the halfway point of the pool stages, they have mustered just 19, and are on course to achieve a new record low for an English club in the top-tier. The current holders after six games are Harlequins, with 62, set in the 2007/08 season.
“We need to use this game as a springboard to the Premiership. We’ve got a tough fixture against Northampton away coming up, so we need to give a much better account of ourselves,” Webber said.
“Results haven’t gone our way but as a group we’re tight-knit and everyone is pulling in the same direction.”
Controversial cross-code convert Denny Solomona makes his Sale debut on the wing in the only change to the starting lineup.
Saracens, aiming for a 13th straight European win to equal Munster’s nineyear-old record for successive Champions Cup wins, make two changes. Schalk Brits comes in at hooker as Jamie George rotates out, while Jackson Wray is at No.8 after injury.
Captain Brad Barritt said: “If the hunger, desire, the constant strive to get better each day stays in the group I see no reason why we can’t continue the great form we’ve been in.
“Each week we start from scratch again, we don’t assume any game’s won. It’s a huge gauge of your culture and humility that you can back up your last performance.”