Llanelli produced a thrilling late show to keep alive their Heineken Cup
quarter-final hopes at Stradey Park on Friday night after Sale Sharks came within
minutes of an unlikely away win.
The Sharks, who had suffered three successive group defeats, led 12-9 after 75
minutes.
But a try from American international David Hodges, on the field as a
half-time substitute for an injured Scott Quinnell, touched down to edge
Llanelli ahead.
And when fly-half Stephen Jones kicked his fourth penalty just three minutes
later, Llanelli were home and dry, preserving their two-year unbeaten home
European record.
But they were given a major fright by the Sharks, whose elimination from their
debut Heineken Cup season was confirmed with this defeat.
Superbly led by skipper and England full-back Jason Robinson, the visitors
stunned Llanelli through first-half tries from flanker Apollo Perelini and
centre Graeme Bond, as Llanelli could make little attacking headway and relied
exclusively on Jones' boot for their points.
The half-time departure of talisman Quinnell with a rib injury compounded
Llanelli's problems, and they looked a pale shadow of the side that won 30-19 at
Sale last Friday.
Until Llanelli eventually grabbed victory, the only similarity with that game
was a mass punch-up on 43 minutes.
But whereas two players were sent off last week - Sale lock Iain Fullarton and
Llanelli flanker Dafydd Jones - Irish referee Alain Rolland decided on this
occasion that a general warning to both captains would be sufficient.
Llanelli, Heineken Cup semi-finalists in two of the past three seasons when
they suffered agonising injury time defeats, eventually came up trumps though.
Time after time they threatened in or around the Sale 22, but a succession of
wrong options meant that the visitors held out until just five minutes from
time.
Llanelli's decisive score arrived when centre Matthew Watkins kicked cleverly
over the Sale defence, and an unmarked Hodges grasped a kind bounce to send the
7,000 crowd wild.
Jones ensured that Llanelli would claim maximum points when he bisected the
posts from 20 metres out, and with French club Bourgoin losing 13-12 at Glasgow
on Friday, Llanelli's evening finished on a double high.
Victories over Bourgoin at Stradey Park next month and in Glasgow a week later
should ensure Llanelli's passage to the last eight, and Friday's success could
well prove to be a defining moment in this season's European campaign.
Llanelli opened the scoring on eight minutes with a Jones penalty, but Sale
replied when Perelini burst through a huge gap to claim a try that scrum-half
Nick Walshe converted.
Jones completed his penalty hat-trick with further strikes on 22 and 26
minutes, but Sale ended an intensely fought opening period on top when superb
recycling work enabled Bond to touch down wide out.
Llanelli spent most of the second period huffing and puffing in their attempts
to blow down Sale's resilient defensive wall, and it was tough justice on the
visitors when they eventually managed it through Hodges' effort.
Jones was wide with a 78th-minute drop goal attempt but, within 60 seconds,
his fourth penalty confirmed the victory and kept that prized quarter-final
place within reach.
Llanelli: G. Evans, Proctor, Watkins, L. Davies,
M. Jones,
S. Jones, Peel, I. Thomas, McBryde, Madden, Cooper, Wyatt,
S. Easterby, D. Jones, Quinnell.
Replacements: J. Davies, M. Thomas, Gross, Hodges, G. Easterby,
G. Bowen, B. Davies.
Tries: Hodges.
Pens: S. Jones 4.
Sale: Robinson, Cueto, Bond, Harris, Hanley,
Going, Walshe,
Thorp, Roddham, Stewart, Fullarton, C. Jones, Perelini, Wilks,
A. Sanderson.
Replacements: Yates, Turner, Pinkerton, Anglesea, Brown, Deane,
Wigglesworth.
Tries: Bond, Perelini.
Cons: Walshe.
Att: 7,182
Ref: Alain Rolland (Ireland).
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