Sale Sharks left the Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens disappointed with not taking more than the bonus point they salvaged at the death after a competitive clash with Loughborough Lightning.
Comfortably the better team in the first half, Sharks set up camp in the hosts 22’ and refused to leave, suffocating the opposition and knocking hard on the door that Lightning did well to keep closed.
Plenty of opportunities for Sharks will leave Sale fans feeling confident for the rest of the season, most notably Lizzie Duffy flying up to the opposition try line before just misplacing the final pass that would have led to the opening score of the game.
Unfortunately, Lightning were more clinical. Their first meaningful entry into Sharks territory was a decisive break from Tahlia Brody who dotted down with the only points of the first half as the teams headed in with the hosts 5-0 up.
The second half saw a different side to the home team. More possession and slick use of the ball made them a much more dangerous proposition and they scored within three minutes of the restart – Lutui crashing over from close range.
Ten minutes later Sale made their first impact on the scoreboard, the faultless Sharifa Kasolo capped a fantastic performance with a pick and go score that gave hope to the travelling fans. That hope was quickly squashed – a fantastic Sadia Kabeya break that took her from the half way line to just five metres out was finished again by Lutui from close range to extend the lead to 19-5.
Sharks rallied and in the dying moments of the game made sure they left Northampton with a bonus point. The ball was shipped wide just metres from the Lightning try line and Rhona Lloyd made sure she scored in back-to-back games to give Sale their point.
Sharks now head back up North to host Trailfinders on Saturday 8th November. With the last home game selling out, Sharks fans won’t want to miss out on this one and can purchase tickets here.
