MATCH REPORT | NEWCASTLE RED BULLS 17-03 SALE SHARKS
Sale Sharks were beaten 17-3 by Newcastle Red Bulls at Kingston Park on Friday night, as the hosts secured their first Gallagher PREM victory of the season.
In difficult, blustery conditions, points proved hard to come by in a closely contested first half, with both sides showing defensive resilience as the game was largely dictated by the kicking battle.
George Ford opened the scoring for Sale with a penalty, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead that they carried into the break after a disciplined defensive effort kept Newcastle at bay.
The hosts threatened on several occasions in the opening 40 minutes, but Sale stood firm under pressure, holding out as Newcastle looked to make their territorial advantage count.
After the restart, the Sharks looked to maintain their defensive resolve. However, Newcastle eventually found a breakthrough nine minutes into the second half.
After building pressure inside the Sale 22, the hosts moved the ball out wide, allowing Christian Wade to cross in the right corner. Josh Hodge added the conversion, putting Newcastle ahead at 7-3.
The try saw Wade draw level with Chris Ashton’s record of 101 Gallagher PREM tries.
Newcastle extended their advantage shortly afterwards when Hodge added a penalty, following another infringement from the Sharks, to make it 10-3.
Sale continued to battle in an effort to get back into the contest, but Newcastle’s defensive line limited the Sharks opportunities to respond.
Just after the hour mark, Red Bulls capitalised on their forward pressure. With a powerful driving maul and George McGuigan to ground the ball over the line.
Hodge converted from the touch line, stretching Newcastle’s lead to 17-3 with 12 minutes remaining.
The Sharks continued to work for a way back into the game and had one last Opportunity to strike off set piece in the 22’ in the final minutes of the match but Newcastle’s defence holds up.
Red Bulls take the Northern Derby.
Reflecting on the defeat in his post-match media session, Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson admitted the Sharks had failed to capitalise on their opportunities, despite gaining valuable territory in the first half. He praised Newcastle’s defensive effort but acknowledged that Sale are currently falling short of their potential, describing the team as “less than the sum of the parts”.
Looking ahead, Sanderson remained determined to put things right against Bath next weekend, saying: “We’ll back ourselves to put it right next weekend. Let’s not point fingers. Let’s look introspectively and work it out together.”
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