Sale Sharks earn losing bonus point against Exeter Chiefs
Sale Sharks earned a Losing Bonus Point in their match against the Exeter Chiefs to effectively ensure that they do not face the relegation from the Aviva Premiership.
Sale Sharks currently placed at the 10th place in the Aviva Premiership table with 32 points and the bonus point today gives them 10 points lead over both Newcastle Falcons and Leeds Carnegie.
Sale Sharks hosted the Exeter Chiefs at Edgeley Park, Stockport on Friday April 22, 2011 as the visitors booked their second consecutive win against the hosts in the season.
Exeter Chiefs are the premierships new comers and the win took them to the 41 points to secure their 9th place in the Aviva Premiership table for now. Sale Sharks were impressive in their defence against the Chiefs and denied them free scoring
opportunity during the initial 22 minutes of the game.
Exeter Chiefs were first to put score on the board with their Fly Half Ignacio Mieres successfully kicked the penalty during the eighth minute of the game. Exeter Chiefs penetrated through the Sale Sharks defence through Winger Nic Sestaret’s 23rd minute
try followed by Mieres conversions.
Sale Sharks Saracens bounded Fly Half Charlie Hodgson scored on the penalty to put on board first Sharks points. Two minutes later, Sharks Centre Chris Bell’s scored try followed by Hodgson conversion to take the scorecard reading 10 - all. The score remained
until the end of the first half as both teams failed to score.
Chiefs started the second half carrying forward their momentum and were first to score during the second half. Mieres scored his second penalty of the game during the third minute of the second half putting visitors in lead again.
The lead extended to the 10 points for the second time in the match as Chiefs Winger Matt Jess scored a try in the 50th minute of the game after capitalizing on the Sharks Bell’s mistake, followed by the Mieres conversion. The home side replied
during the 67th minute with their Lock Wame Lewaravu scoring a try followed by Hodgson’s conversion to reduce the lead to just three points. Substitute Gareth Steenson 75th minute penalty followed by 78th minute try by
Lock Tom Hayes to extend Chiefs lead.
Steenson followed with conversion to extend the lead to 13 points. During the last minute, Sale Sharks scored a try followed by conversion to earn a Losing Bonus Point to save their premiership future. Sharks Winger Will Addison scored a try followed by
Hodgson’s conversion.
Sharks will now play against the Gloucester Rugby at Kingsholm, Gloucester that will be the Hodgson’s last match for the Sharks.
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