Cockerill’s men survive a Sharks scare to stay alive
EDINBURGH mounted a brilliant second-half comeback to beat Sale Sharks and keep alive their hopes of progression in the Heineken Champions Cup.
Richard Cockerill’s men trailed 12-0 at half-time, but fought back courtesy of a try from Mark Bennett and 11 points from the boot of fly-half Jaco van der Walt.
Victory over the English Premiership side means Edinburgh will retain at least a fighting chance of reaching the knockout stages, having lost their opener to La Rochelle last weekend.
Given that they have looked so devoid of confidence in recent weeks, this stirring fightback should inject some much-needed momentum and positivity into their season heading into the New Year.
‘I’m very proud of the team,’ said Cockerill. ‘We were playing against a really stiff breeze in the first half and we couldn’t really get field position to put pressure on Sale.
‘We coughed up two fairly soft tries. But we were pretty calm at half-time. We knew the wind was going to be a factor. We knew we’d get opportunities.
‘We just wanted to stay calm and stay in the game. We knew we could put them under pressure in the second half. Teams play differently when they’re under pressure.
‘Charlie Shiel did a manful job against a world-class nine in Faf de Klerk. Charlie will be better for the experience.
‘Jack Blain didn’t look out of place among international wingers. Jamie Hodgson was good as well. So it’s a positive night for Scottish rugby as we continue developing these young players.
‘There is obviously still a lot of work to do with the home game against Sale still to come and then going to La Rochelle. But we’re still in the competition and we’re trying to qualify.’
Edinburgh had the chance to take an early lead after just three minutes when some powerful work in the scrum from Simon Berghan saw them win a penalty.
Conditions were testing, however, and the gusting winds saw Van der Walt’s effort at the posts drift wide.
Edinburgh had started the match solidly enough, so it was against the run of play when Sale scored the opening try on 13 minutes.
That said, Edinburgh only had themselves to blame. They were caught napping and were punished by the hosts’ quick thinking.
After a pack of Sale players had pounced on Van der Walt and carried him into touch, they took a quick line-out which caught Edinburgh completely by surprise.
The ball was quickly fed out wide to winger Denny Solomona and, despite a slight suspicion of a forward pass in the build-up, he stepped inside Blair Kinghorn to touch down in the corner.
The conversion from Sale fly-half Rob du Preez made a mockery of the conditions, as he thumped it right between the posts from out wide on the touchline to make it 7-0.
The English side didn’t have to wait too long for their second try, which was gifted to them by some incredibly poor defending from Edinburgh.
Bennett was the chief culprit, with the centre flying up way too high and leaving a gaping hole in their defensive line.
His opposite number, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, skipped through the gap and scurried away to score, with the conversion from Du Preez being unsuccessful on this occasion.
On what was his first-ever start in the Champions Cup, Edinburgh scrum-half Shiel found it difficult to settle into any kind of rhythm.
It hardly helped his cause, meanwhile, that his opposite number happened to be the best player on the pitch in the first half.
De Klerk, Sale’s Springbok World Cup winner, was a joy to watch in the way controlled the game in the opening 40 minutes.
Trailing 12-0 at half-time, it was imperative that Edinburgh made a quick start after the interval.
Shiel made a decent break as he looked to improve on his first-half performance, but his night ended prematurely when he was replaced by the more experienced Nic Groom on 48 minutes.
But there was no doubt Edinburgh looked far better in the opening exchanges of the second half — and they found a way back into the game on 53 minutes.
After Groom had found Chris Dean, it was the centre’s quick hands which allowed Bennett to scamper through and touch down. Given his error in the first half, it was the ideal way for the former Scotland man to make amends.
Van der Walt converted and, suddenly, Edinburgh were only five points behind.
With the likes of WP Nel and Pierre Schoeman coming off the bench, Edinburgh could call on the heavy artillery. Both replacement props made a big difference.
Van der Walt kicked a penalty on 59 minutes to bring Edinburgh within two points at 12-10. It was very much game-on heading into the final quarter of the game.
Sale were rattled — and even the previously imperious De Klerk was now beginning to make some sloppy errors.
After some great work from the Edinburgh forwards won another penalty on 63 minutes, Van der Walt slotted it between the posts to nudge his side into the lead.
Van Rensburg then looked like he had got his second try of the night to put Sale back in front, but it was pulled back for a forward pass from Cobus Wiese.
Edinburgh centre Dean, however, coughed up a penalty which allowed Du Preez to kick Sale back into a 15-13 lead.
Sale No8 Jean-Luc du Preez was then sent to the sin bin for a no-arms tackle which saw him make contact with Hamish Watson’s head. It ought to have been red.
Van der Walt kicked the resulting penalty to put Edinburgh 16-15 ahead. This time, it was a lead they would not relinquish.
SCORERS; SALE SHARKS — Tries: Solomona, Van Rensburg. Con: R Du Preez. Pen: R Du Preez. EDINBURGH — Try: Bennett. Con: Van der Walt. Pens: Van der Walt (3).