Following Sale\u2019s 26-10 victory over the Sharks, here are our five takeaways from the Investec Champions Cup clash at CorpAcq Stadium.<\/p>\n
Top line<\/p>\n
In the end, it is Durban Sharks<\/a> owner Marco Masotti who was eating his words, and perhaps some tuna, as the South African outfit succumbed to Alex Sanderson\u2019s charges on a cold night in Manchester.<\/p>\n Much of this game\u2019s build-up was dominated by the words of the two respective club owners, and it\u2019s the Orange family who leave the stadium in a more upbeat mood, but the Durbanites can take a lot of pride from their efforts.<\/p>\n Rising Sale<\/a> star Rekeiti Ma\u2019asi-White ran a sharp, incisive line to sneak through the Sharks\u2019 defence and open the scoring, which gave Sale a slender 5-3 lead at half-time in what was a first 40 minutes that contained a litany of errors.<\/p>\n The lineout proved to be pivotal for the hosts as Bevan Rodd, who had a torrid time in the scrum against the returning Vincent Koch, bundled over the line before Tom O\u2019Flaherty grabbed Sale\u2019s third.<\/p>\n Manu Tshituka caught the hosting Sharks\u2019 defence napping and skinned England fly-half George Ford before cantering away for what was the Durban side\u2019s only try of the game. However, it was O\u2019Flaherty who had the final say in the match as the man of the match kept his width and benefited from a frantic attack to jog over the line untouched.<\/p>\n The result secures a place in the Champions Cup<\/a> round of 16 for the Sale Sharks, while the travelling Sharks will hope some results fall favourably as they lick their wounds and return to Durban, where they will host Clermont.<\/p>\n Sale boss hits out at Sharks owner\u2019s \u2018disrespect\u2019 as grudge match develops following social media spat<\/a><\/p>\n Sharks heart<\/p>\n Bereft of the big-name Springboks stars, the Sharks were given little chance, if any, of even putting a respectable score today, but JP Pietersen has made a concerted effort to hammer in the point of playing for the pride of the club, region and history of the Durban-based side, and that\u2019s precisely what many of the players did. It\u2019s worth remembering that the last time the Durbanites sent an understrength team to the UK in the Champions Cup, they were on the wrong end of a 56-17 hiding at the hands of Leicester.<\/p>\n Sure, they ended on the losing end of today\u2019s result, but the interim head coach certainly knows that there are players who don the Sharks jersey with the same pride, passion, and desire as he did during his illustrious career as a truly world-class winger.<\/p>\n Skipper Nick Hatton is a prime example, as were his fellow back-rowers Tino Mavesere and Manu Tshituka, who scored a scrumptious try and got through a mountain of work. Pumas\u2019 loanees Ross Braude and Eddie Swart have been sharp additions to the squad, and efforts should be made to make those deals permanent, as it\u2019s not the first time that they have put in performances that warrant it.<\/p>\n Marnus Potgieter also put himself about well, though he did lack the execution at times, but is a player who, fitness permitting, can produce solid shifts.<\/p>\n Hakeem Kunene is highly thought of in Durban, and it\u2019s easy to see why. He is unlikely to usurp Apehelele Fassi anytime soon, but the more minutes he gets, the more his confidence will improve and the fewer errors he will make.<\/p>\n Much is made of the plethora of high-profile Springboks superstars in this squad, but fronted with the challenge of a stacked Sale side, which featured five former Durban Sharks in the run-on side, boasting world-class talents of their own, it was the lesser-known men who stepped up to the plate and put in a performance that their head coach can work with going forward.<\/p>\n Sale Sharks struggles<\/p>\n A full-house of points today will certainly give Alex Sanderson\u2019s men a skip in their step, but the fact of the matter is that they did what was expected of them. They played a second-string team and were fortunate enough to select pretty much their strongest side available, but were unable to really put them to the sword.<\/p>\n While Ford is a tactical genius, he lacked a cutting edge with the ball in hand today to really trouble the Sharks and often force the issue, putting his teammates under unnecessary pressure.<\/p>\n Without the excellent Tom Roebuck in the back-three, Sale didn\u2019t dominate the aerial game as they usually do. Jacques Vermeulen\u2019s early departure removed a relentless and powerful ball carrier, with Tom Curry and Ernst van Rhyn failing to really fill the void that he left.<\/p>\n Then there was the scrum, where James Harper was undone by Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, and Rodd was outclassed by Koch \u2013 who played his first game since October.<\/p>\n Again, it\u2019s far from all doom and gloom as they collected five points in front of their home fans, and much of the credit must go to Nathan Jibulu, who was in the running for the man of the match award. The young hooker shone around the park in the absence of Luke Cowan-Dickie but was crucially accurate in the lineouts, the source of Sale\u2019s success.<\/p>\n It\u2019s plainly obvious that if Sale are to turn their season around, domestically and in the Champions Cup, that improvements are needed, but perhaps a hard-fought, ground-out victory against their namesake is the catalyst for just that.<\/p>\n A day defence coaches earned their paychecks<\/p>\n While the Bulls are licking their wounds, their fans would be looking on enviously at the astute, well-drilled and frankly competent defensive structures on display in Salford, which provided stark contrast to what transpired in Loftus earlier in the day.<\/p>\n Defence was optional in sunny Pretoria, but over in Manchester, it was a non-starter, particularly for the first half, as the two defences comfortably got the better of the attacks, forcing the errors. It took driving mauls and moments of sheer madness, and individual brilliance to finally find a loose brick in the wall.<\/p>\n It comes as no surprise that England and South Africa have taken an interest in the respective coaches, with Byron McGuigan, erroneously referred to as Byron Haywood on commentary, now splitting his duties with the former, while Joey Mongalo has been highly rated in SA circles for some time now and has worked with the A team. Two relatively young coaches, but ones who are certainly stamping their mark.<\/p>\n Bulls v Bristol: Five takeaways as Springbok-laden hosts \u2018look lost at this level\u2019 while Bears \u2018put in a performance for the ages\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n All eyes turn to StoneX<\/p>\n While Sale have secured a place in the knockout stages of the Champions Cup along with Glasgow Warriors, the remaining qualifying spots remain very much up for grabs ahead of Toulouse\u2019s trip to the StoneX Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n Ugo Mola\u2019s men are the tournament\u2019s most successful club, but the Antoine Dupont-led side could well exit the competition in the pool stages if they do not step up against Saracens. Both sides sit on six points after two rounds and a bonus-point win will secure passage into the last-16.<\/p>\n The Sharks are a point back but host the pointless Clermont in Durban in the final round of pool matches next weekend. A victory there for Pietersen\u2019s men, paired with back-to-back losses for one of Toulouse and Saracens, who face Sale and Glasgow, respectively, next weekend, could see the Durbanites claim an unlikely play-off spot. Alternatively, a run in the Challenge Cup could be on the cards, a tournament they have already won.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n