Sale FC 8 Bishop's Stortford First XV 7

Stortford started aggressively and were clearly up for the expected battle against a Sale side, whose league position gives a false impression of the strength of their squad. Intermittent rain combined with the strong wind to make running rugby very challenging but both teams managed to produce some impressive handling, which was neutralised by strong defence by both sides. Despite playing into the strong wind, Stortford dominated possession and territory for most of the first half. The pack went particularly well, edging the scrums and with generally well-controlled lineouts. Early pressure forced a number of penalties from a home team under pressure and one of these led to a 5 metre lineout, from which it looked as if the pack had driven over for an opening try after 7 minutes. The initially blind-sided referee, however, adjudged the ball to have been held up over the line. Two more penalties in quick succession allowed Stortford to take a shot at goal, but Connor Lloyd's effort, unfortunately drifted wide on the wind. The visitors maintained the pressure but were held out again by stout Sale defence, despite some good handling from side to side, which threatened to put each of the wingers away in turn. Eventually, though, two more penalties were won and a bout of afters, following the second saw the home fullback yellow-carded. Unfortunately for Stortford, Sale’s defence held tight and, despite being a man short, finally managed to show some attacking threat themselves with some good, multi-phase play in the difficult conditions, making a rare incursion into Stortford's half. They were able, as a result to create two penalty goal opportunities for themselves and the half finished with James Robins converting the second, as the final act of a prolonged injury period, allowed to run well beyond the pitchside clock.

The balance of play in the second period was much more even, as front row changes on both sides switched the edge in the scrums in Sale's favour and the home side were able to mount some seriously threatening attacks, two in particular foundering at the death as, first a scoring pass was thrown behind an unmarked right wing and then the ball was knocked on, as a Sale forward reached out his arm over the line. Stortford's defence regathered and, when home No 8, Jake Barron was red-carded after a long consultation between referee and assistant, following a goal-line fracas, the pendulum seemed to swing back towards the visitors. With their pack, though retaining its supremacy, Sale clawed their way back and they took ruthless advantage of a favourable penalty decision made against a Stortford scrum, which, unusually, was moving forward, to press into the opposition 22, where neat interplay from the base of a 5 metre scrum brought an unconverted try out wide on the right. Now with only 10 minutes left on the clock and out of even bonus point range, Stortford had to dig really deep. Skipper, James Ayrton once again led from the front, soon scoring a tremendous try, spinning out of a first tackle to plunge through the next on the left wing. Matt Riddington converted brilliantly from close to touch to narrow the points deficit to one, but, despite more pressure from the visitors, Sale were able to hold out, with the referee - much to the visitors' disappointment - blowing up the instant the pitchside clock went to zero in contrast to the extended end of the first period.