News

Jordan Davies racked up 3 penalties and a conversion for the Jets

Jets end two points clear of The Gogs

Monday, March 15th 2010

Sale Jets gained revenge for their recent defeat in Colwyn Bay by beating RGC 1404 21-19 at Heywood Road. In a fast and furious game played on a dry, grassy pitch, Adam Birchall scored the decisive try with two minutes of normal time left.

The Jets had built up a 13-3 half time lead through Will Cliff (try) plus a conversion and two penalties from Jordan Davies. Mike Raikes sent over a penalty in reply.

Although Davies added a further penalty on the hour, the North Wales team, which started with seven Canadian internationals, took a 19-16 lead through tries from Ciaran Hearn and Kris Wilkes, plus two further Raikes penalties, before Birchall's late strike.

For The Jets, Tom Holmes completed his first 80 minutes of an injury-hit season.

What they said after the game:

Pete Anglesea = "This was a game we wanted, because when we played at Colwyn Bay, we didn't give them enough respect, bearing in mind that RGC have got ten Canadian internationals. They're good players with experience. I wanted to see heart and passion. I want to see young lads coming through who have hearts of lions.

"For a large part of this game, they were absolutely courageous, getting 'stuck in' when things got a bit feisty. We had three scrum halves, so this was a chance for Will Cliff to see if he could control the game from 10, which he did very well. Overall - good graft and a lot of spirit. It was nice to see Tom Holmes do a full 80 minutes."


Tom Holmes (returning from injury) = "Eighty minutes wasn't quite what I was expecting. I was blowing a bit, but am quite happy with myself. It's good to have a full game under my belt. The desire was there. The Jets have a bit of a fixture backlog. Generally, games are finished after March. I've arranged, through an external contact with Kingsley's blessing, to spend Summer in South Africa, gaining experience and being ready for August."


Clive Griffiths = "It was an excellent game. Both teams played with intent. It was nice to see some good running rugby, with a good width to the game, rather than what we normally see at weekends with a lot of ball pumped into the air. Collectively, we were unlucky tonight - probably, a draw would have been the best result for everybody. We were nearly there near the end, five metres away. RGC 1404 have 'raised the bar'. Guinness 'A' teams know they're in a game against us. We've beaten Worcester and Sale and lost by one point to Leeds. We've also beaten Glamorgan Wanderers. It's a bit of rugby history for the region. We're growing and building - it can only get better with more time, energy and, of course, finance!"