Curry is too hot for Warriors to handle
ENGLAND STAR KEEPS SALE IN TITLE HUNT
SALE 20 T: De Klerk, Ross C: McGinty 2 P: McGinty 2
WORCESTER 13 T: Penalty P: Weir 2
ENGLAND flanker Tom Curry’s latest all- action display inspired Sale to victory and provided a further boost for interim head coach Paul Deacon.
Following three successive defeats for the Cheshire club in the aftermath of Steve Diamond’s abrupt departure from his post as director of rugby, a second straight win kept the Sharks among the Premiership front-runners.
Deacon is seeking to prove he should be placed in charge fulltime and this result — if not the manner of the performance — will aid his cause.
Curry was typically dynamic and influential for Sale, making tackles and carries and winning turnovers.
Similarly effective at the breakdown was rookie prop Bevan Rodd, who continued his promising first-team emergence, while Worcester centre Oli Morris stood out in a losing cause for Alan Solomons’ side.
Sale had to reshuffle their pack after losing regular No 8 Daniel du Preez to suspension, so his place at the base of the scrum was taken by Josh Beaumont — who had marked his comeback from a 14month injury ordeal with the match-winning try at Gloucester six days earlier.
Worcester were weakened by the absence of England centre Ollie Lawrence, who had taken a bang to the shoulder and was left out as a precaution.
The home side soon seized the initiative in poor conditions and threatened to strike from distance in the eighth minute, when AJ MacGinty’s lofted pass released England Under 20 wing Tom Roebuck wide on the right.
He kicked ahead but Perry Humphreys chased back to win the race to the ball behind Worcester’s line.
A penalty by MacGinty in the 20th minute put the Sharks in front and they extended their advantage in fine style three minutes later.
From a lineout on the right, the ball was shipped across the field to Marland Yarde in space and he stormed forward with purpose.
Faf de Klerk kept up the momentum and after a strong charge inside the 22 by Coenie Oosthuizen, De Klerk dummied outside and stretched to score. MacGinty converted and after his next shot was off target from near halfway, the USA fly half added a penalty to make it 13-0.
Just before the break, Duncan Weir was on target at the other end to put the visitors on the board.
The conditions improved in the second half but that didn’t lead to better attacking fluency from either side.
Worcester commanded more possession and built up a sufficient spell of pressure to earn a penalty which Weir dispatched to make it 13-6 in the 57th minute.
Sale sent on a raft of replacements and strove to claim the try which would have surely put the game out of the Warriors’ reach.
Four minutes from time, they managed it, as captain Jono Ross touched down to cap a driving onslaught, with MacGinty adding the extras.
With a minute remaining, Curry’s impressive performance ended on a sour note — he was sin-binned as Sale conceded a penalty try. WASPS came storming back to win an 11-try bonanza at Bath 52-44. The game was already wide open by half time as the visitors went in trailing 29-24. Full back Lima Sopoaga ended up booting 15 points and hooker Tom Cruse claimed two tries in the win.