Sale's only other semi-final appearance came in the second season of the Anglo-Welsh Cup, then under the guise of the EDF Energy Cup, when they lost 29-19 to eventual winners Leicester Tigers at the Millennium Stadium in March 2007. Saracens, meanwhile, are through to their third semi-final having reached this stage in 2008 (3-30 v Ospreys) and 2010 (20-31 v Northampton).
By winning the LV Cup, gives an automatic place in next seasons Heineken Cup competition. The winners of the game on Sunday will be 'home seeds' in the final at Worcester on Sunday 17th March.
If the score is tied at the end of a Knock-Out Match, then extra time will be played, consisting of two periods of ten minutes plus any stoppage time each.
At the final whistle signalling the end of normal time in the Match, there will be a five minute break. Neither the teams nor the Match officials may leave the Playing Enclosure during this break, save for exceptional reasons. The team management of each Club shall be permitted onto the Playing Area to bring water, nourishment and treatment to their Players, but they must leave the Playing Area before the end of the break.
After the five-minute break, the teams will swap ends and the Club that kicked off the first half of the Match will kick off the first period of extra time. After ten minutes plus any stoppage time the referee will stop the Match and the teams will swap ends again while there is a break of one minute. Neither the teams nor the Match officials may leave the Playing Enclosure during this break, save for exceptional reasons. The team management of each Club shall be permitted onto the Playing Area during the break to bring water, nourishment and treatment to their Players, but they must leave the Playing Area before the end of the break.
After the one-minute break, the teams having swapped ends the Club that kicked off the second half of the Match will kick off the second period of extra time. After ten minutes plus any stoppage time, the referee will stop the Match. If at that point there is no winner of the Match according to the criteria set out in the Competition Rules, then the referee will conduct a place-kick competition to determine the winner.
Place Kick Competition
If at the end of a Knock-Out Match, after extra-time has been played, the scores remain equal and the number of tries scored in the Match is equal, then the referee will conduct a place-kick competition to determine the winner of the Match, according to the following procedures:
o All players and the Match officials will remain on the playing area. The Referee will call the captains of the two teams at the end of the match to the centre circle and will conduct two coin tosses. The first toss of the coin will determine which team selects the end of the playing area at which all place kicks will be taken; the second toss of the coin will determine which team kicks first or second.
o The Match officials and the six nominated players (3 from each side) will assemble on the halfway line. All other players and team management must remain in the technical areas. No one other than the Match officials and the participating players is allowed in the playing area or behind the posts for the duration of the kicking competition.
o Team A and Team B will each nominate 3 kickers from the players on the pitch at the end of extra time to participate in the place kick competition.
o Each kicker will be allocated a number i.e. Kicker 1, Kicker 2 or Kicker 3. This designation cannot change.
o If during the place kick competition any of the 3 kickers becomes injured he will be replaced by a player who was on the pitch at the end of extra time.
o The first phase of the competition will consist of 6 kicks from 6 positions as outlined in the diagram below.
o Each kicker will take 2 kicks in the following order:-
§ Kicker 1 from team A and Kicker 1 from team B will each take a kick from position 1.
§ Kicker 2 from team A and Kicker 2 from team B will each take a kick from position 2.
§ Kicker 3 from team A and Kicker 3 from team B will each take a kick from position 3.
§ Kicker 1 from team A and Kicker 1 from team B will each take a kick from position 4.
§ Kicker 2 from team A and Kicker 2 from team B will each take a kick from position 5.
§ Kicker 3 from team A and Kicker 3 from team B will each take a kick from position 6.
o If the teams are level at the end of the 6 kick competition there will be a 'sudden death competition'. All kicks will take place from position 4 and kicks will be taken in the following order:-
§ First to kick will be Kicker 1 from each team
§ Second to kick will be Kicker 2 from each team
§ Third to kick will be Kicker 3 from each team
§ Kicks will continue in this order until a point is reached where each team has taken the same number of sudden death kicks but one team has scored one more than the other team. When this point is reached the team that has scored more successful kicks will be declared the winner.
O For the avoidance of doubt the Match Referee is the sole judge of whether a kick has been successful. In reaching this decision the Match Referee may rely on assistance from his assistant referees and/or Television Match Official
Tickets are available for the game by phoning 08444-994-994 or online at http://www.salesharks.com/tickets/index.php
