SALE SHARKS vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

[FKAS]

SALE SHARKS vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
Gallagher Premiership, Round 13
Friday 28 March, 2025
Salford Stadium
Kick-off: 7.45pm

15 James Ramm
14 Tommy Freeman
13 Burger Odendaal
12 Fraser Dingwall (c)
11 George Hendy
10 Tom James
9 Alex Mitchell

1 Emmanuel Iyogun
2 Curtis Langdon
3 Trevor Davison
4 Chunya Munga
5 Alex Coles
6 Josh Kemeny
7 Angus Scott-Young
8 Henry Pollock

Replacements:
16 Henry Walker
17 Tarek Haffar
18 Luke Green
19 Temo Mayanavnaua
20 Juarno Augustus
21 Tom Pearson
22 Jonny Weimann
23 Tom Litchfield

Not available for selection:
Emeka Atuanya, George Furbank, Sam Graham, Rory Hutchinson, George Makepeace-Cubitt, Archie McParland, Toby Thame, Charlie Savala, Ollie Sleightholme, and Robbie Smith.

SALE TEAM TO FACE SAINTS: 
15 Joe Carpenter, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Rob du Preez (c), 12 Sam Bedlow, 11 Tom O’Flaherty, 10 George Ford, 9 Gus Warr; 1 Bevan Rodd, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour 4 Ben Bamber, 5 Jonny Hill, 6 Ernst van Rhyn, 7 Tom Curry, 8 JL du Preez.  
Replacements: 16 Tadgh McElroy, 17 Si McIntyre, 18 WillGriff John, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Sam Dugdale, 21 Nye Thomas, 22 Will Addison, 23 Arron Reed.

Referee: Hamish Smales
Assistant referees: Jack Makepeace and John Meredith
TMO: Stuart Terheege

[FKAS]

Fin Smith gets his rest weekend so the cupboard seems to be bare for Saints at 10.

[Banquo]

Could get ugly

[Adam_P]

Sums up our season that the week we need to rest Fin to have him available for Clermont we have injuries to Furbank, Savala, Hutchinson and Makepeace-Cubitt. Prem is gone.

May as well have given Freeman and Mitchell another week off.

[Oakboy]

Roebuck, Freeman and Pollock would be in my England XV every time. Good performances from Curry and Hill as well.

[TheNomad]

What a try. Oh my word. Incredible talent.

[Danno]

Roebuck, Freeman and Pollock would be in my England XV every time. Good performances from Curry and Hill as well.

Not sure about Pollock yet, I want to see if 2nd season syndrome strikes first. I'm always a bit wary of a showboat.

[Adam_P]

Didn't see last week's drubbing by Tigers thankfully as I was overseas, but considering the lack of 10 last night that was a decent enough performance in response to run Sale that close at home. Mitchell's kicking from hand wasn't his best, but he was otherwise good. Pollock had an excellent game, an Freeman was also good. Too many handling errors and penalties cost us though. That's the Prem done, so hopefully now we'll just go and win the Champions Cup.

Also:

[twitchy]

Pollock's try was ridiculous. It's one thing doing that vs u18's/20's and then vs LCD and curry.

[fivepointer]

Incredible try. The way he helped set yup Iyogun was pretty good too. He's quite a player.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Roebuck, Freeman and Pollock would be in my England XV every time. Good performances from Curry and Hill as well.

Not sure about Pollock yet, I want to see if 2nd season syndrome strikes first. I'm always a bit wary of a showboat.

In what way is he showboating?

[FKAS]

Pollock is x factor isn't he. Got a couple bits of his game to polish but at 20 that's a ridiculous position to be in.

I'd also say that whilst he's quite prominent and in your face he's got all the skills to back up being that in your face. Might also be how he psychs himself up.

[Mellsblue]

He’s bloody good. Ridiculous in fact. Tenner says he sustains a serious injury by the end of the season…

[Oakboy]

He’s bloody good. Ridiculous in fact. Tenner says he sustains a serious injury by the end of the season…

Don't tempt fate. I posted that I'd have him in the England XV at HT. Then in the 2nd half he scored that try. We have great talent in the back row but he is the best - now. If he was qualified for France or NZ he'd be in the starting XV and there would be no mention of his youth or inexperience. Both countries would be determined to get two years worth of caps into him before the RWC.

[Scrumhead]

Do you really think Henry Pollock is ‘the best’ back row we have available full stop?

I mean he’s clearly excellent ball-in-hand but that’s probably my lowest priority for a back row player. The other aspects of his game are decent but labelling him as a our best back row feels a) premature and b) a little misguided when there’s a lot more to being a flanker/8 than running with the ball.

[Mellsblue]

He sounds like a 12 to me.

[Mikey Brown]

Yeah he looks like an incredible talent. Interesting to see how much he plays flanker or 8, and if it even matters that he’s back and forth between the two, but claiming he’d start for NZ or France is completely absurd.

[FKAS]

He is the type of backrow you can imagine NZ really liking but I think he's doing fine with England and his progression. He still qualifies for the under 20s but is already capped and training with the first team.

[Oakboy]

Do you really think Henry Pollock is ‘the best’ back row we have available full stop?

Yes. And, he will get better.

[Oakboy]

Yeah he looks like an incredible talent. Interesting to see how much he plays flanker or 8, and if it even matters that he’s back and forth between the two, but claiming he’d start for NZ or France is completely absurd.

Absurd? They would recognise his potential and back it. The risk is negligible compared with the potential gain. If we frustrate his ambition we are mad. It's Cipriani v Russell etc.

[Mikey Brown]

I get the argument for the highest ceiling, but given the backrow strength we have the luxury of integrating him at whatever pace works best for him.

You talk as if he’s been knocking the door down for years and being ignored, rather than having been given a low pressure runout at almost the first opportunity. Maybe he’ll take hold of a shirt over the next season and keep kicking on, but there’s little to gain from forcing it.

I don’t understand the Russell vs Cipriani thing. Is one of them the boring old guard that stopped a younger talent coming in?

[Scrumhead]

Do you really think Henry Pollock is ‘the best’ back row we have available full stop?

Yes. And, he will get better.

That is an extremely bold statement to make without qualifying why.

He might be the quickest and most elusive runner. Possibly the most skilful too. However, he’s a flanker/8 and IMO he’s not even remotely close to being the best in any other aspect of back row play.

I don’t doubt he’ll keep getting better, but to proclaim him as the best at this point is wild.

[p/d]

Classy young lad with a bright future ahead. But let’s not build him up to then knock him down.

Great player to have in the mix, amongst what is a bit of a golden age of back rowers

[twitchy]

I think we are managing him fine at intl level. That wales game couldn't have been better.

[Banquo]

Yeah he looks like an incredible talent. Interesting to see how much he plays flanker or 8, and if it even matters that he’s back and forth between the two, but claiming he’d start for NZ or France is completely absurd.

Absurd? They would recognise his potential and back it. The risk is negligible compared with the potential gain. If we frustrate his ambition we are mad. It's Cipriani v Russell etc.

mate, he's being capped now, what's the problem.