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Sharks blow chance

Jenny Dixon
16/ 5/2008

SHARKS players were left ruing missed chances after they blew their shot at Premiership glory on the last day of the season.

The Edgeley Park side suffered a shock 17-7 defeat against London Irish on Saturday.

It was only the second time that Sharks have lost on home soil this season, but it was the revelation that a losing bonus point, awarded for finishing within seven points of the winning team, would have been enough to take them through to the league semi-finals that was most galling.

Instead, Leicester claimed the fourth play-off spot putting the Tigers within one win of a Twickenham final.

Sharks’ director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre admitted after the game: "We had no urgency, we were not desperate and we didn’t have the passion that we normally have at home.

"We didn’t deserve to be in the semi-finals. To end the season like this is very, very disappointing."

More than 10,000 supporters turned out to cheer Sharks on against London Irish at the weekend but vocal support could not rally the hosts after they conceded two tries in the space of three first-half minutes.

Topsy Ojo scored the first try after he intercepted a poor pass from scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth, and turned Sharks’ attacking move into a desperate chase, which was won comfortably by the Exiles wing.

On 23 minutes Sale again lost possession and, this time, centre Seilala Mapusua, showing the pace and panache that characterised Irish’s performance, crossed the whitewash for the first of his brace.

Sharks never recovered from the double blow. Exiles’ fly-half Eoghan Hickey missed two conversions and two penalties in the match and Irish were reduced to 13-men for five minutes of the second-half when Tomas De Vidia and captain Bob Casey were sent to the sin-bin, but still Sharks couldn’t capitalise.

It wasn’t until the last move of the game that the home side posted any points. But Chris Bell's converted try was no consolation for Sale, who finish the season in fifth place in the league table.

The loss shocked Sharks departing Argentinian international Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, who watched the game from the stands. "It is really sad," said Northampton-bound Lobbe. "We put in a lot of effort during the year, and we won at Harlequins – we just had to win at home in front of our own fans."

Sharks’ hard-fought 23-16 victory at Harlequins means that they will compete in Europe’s top rugby competition, the Heineken Cup, next season.