News

KJ: "No-one to blame but ourselves"

Sharks lose 37-31 to Tigers

Saturday, April 4th 2009

Sale Sharks lost a pulsating game at Welford Road against a rampant Tigers side which played with fourteen men from the 23rd minute after Julian White was sent off. Tries from Cueto (2) and Briggs, with 16 points from the boot of Hodgson, ensured a bonus point but the home side ran in five tries from Tuilagi, Hamilton (2), Hipkiss and Vesty. Leicester go back to the top of the table; Sharks have a week off before meeting Harlequins,who won 19-3 at Bath earlier in the day, at Edgeley Park on Friday 17th April. With two games left for all sides, the top six read: Leicester 62 pts, Quins 61, Irish 60, Bath 57, Gloucester 56 and Sharks 52.

Speaking after the match, Sharks' DoR Kingsley Jones denied that his side had relaxed after White's dismissal, but admitted that they made too many mistakes. "I said at half time that often when a side has a player sent off, the other team takes their foot off the gas," he said. "I asked our players if they thought that happened in the second half, and the simple answer was, 'No'. You can't concede five tries against fourteen men. We know Welford Road is a tough place to come to, but we have no-one to blame but ourselves. We got a bonus point as consolation, but our lineout creaked, we defended poorly from first phase and you have to play for eighty minutes. Time and time again, we let Leicester off the hook and conceded two or three easy tries."