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Smith outduels Ford as Harlequins put leaders Sale to sword
By PA
Marcus Smith won the duel between England’s fly-halves in waiting at The Stoop but it was the contribution of Harlequins’ pack that underpinned a 36-3 victory over Sale.
Quins climb to second in the Gallagher Premiership after putting the league leaders to the sword with a polished display that produced five tries, two of them scored by Will Joseph.
Smith engineered the 43rd-minute try for Danny Care that propelled his team out of reach and was an influential presence throughout, including off the tee in the form of one penalty and three conversions.
It was a personal triumph for the 24-year-old, who eclipsed England rival George Ford as the two compete for the number 10 jersey made vacant by Owen Farrell’s decision to miss the Six Nations in order to prioritise his mental health.
Smith was given the easier night, however, because of the the work rate and determination of his forwards highlighted by the resolute defending of their line shortly before half-time.
A difficult night for Sale was compounded by the loss of captain Ben Curry to injury and there were few positives on show to make the journey back to Manchester more comfortable.
Alex Sanderson’s early-season pacesetters were rarely at the required level and it took just nine minutes to leak their first try, full-back Joe Carpenter making a mess of a kick that allowed Tyrone Green to grab the ball and complete a simple run in.
The South African used his footwork to set off on a mazy run out of defence that launched a fresh home assault which ended with a Quins penalty.
Sale were spending time in opposition territory but each time departed without any points with Ford missing one very kickable penalty on the half-hour mark.
Joe Launchbury was hurt in contact but Quins were relieved to see their England second row rise to his feet and rejoin a match that was in danger of slipping away from the Sharks.
Sensing the urgency, Sale ended the first half by using forward pick and goes to batter away at the whitewash but the resilience shown in defence by Quins meant they were confined to a Ford penalty.
And it appeared to be a costly failure early in the second half when Quins’ attack clicked into gear through the skills of their half-backs, Smith slicing through the visitors and darting clear before sending the supporting Care over.
Problems continued to mount for Sale as Arron Reed was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on and once a large scuffle had subsided, hooker Sam Riley peeled off from a line-out maul and dived over.
Second place in the table was confirmed when Sharks’ poor clearance offered an invitation to attack and Quins accepted, Smith launching a move down the left side of the field that was finished by Joseph.
Sale’s defence was creaking again to enable Joseph to plunder his second in the final indignity for the out of sorts Premiership leaders.
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Latest Comments
Ireland have every right to back themselves for a win. But the key variable has little to do with recent record etc.
The reality is that Ireland are a settled team with tons of continuity, an established style, and a good depth chart, whereas NZ are fundamentally rebuilding. The questions are all about what Razor is doing and how far along he is in that program.
NZ are very close to really clicking. Against England all of the chatter is about how England could have closed out a win, but failed to do so. This has obscured the observation that NZ were by far the more creative and effective in attack, beyond the 3-1 try differential and disallowed tries. They gave away a lot of unnecessary penalties, and made many simple errors (including knock-ons and loose kicks). Those things are very fixable, and when they do so we are once again going to be staring at a formidable NZ team.
Last week we heard the England fans talking confidently about their chances against NZ, but England did not end up looking like the better team on the field or the scoreboard. The England defense was impressive enough, but still could not stop the tries.
Ireland certainly has a better chance, of course, but NZ is improving fast, and I would not be surprised at a convincing All Black win this week. It may turn on whether NZ can cut out the simple mistakes.
Go to commentsFair to say that NZ have come to respect Ireland, as have all teams. But it's a bit click-baitey to say that the game is the premier show-down for NZ.
SA has beaten NZ four times in a row, including in the RWC final.
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