Hodgson adds a touch of genius

Pontypridd 22 Sale 25

If the mark of a decent side used to be an ability to win while playing like the proverbial sack of effluent, it is now a capacity to snaffle results – and, in this instance, silverware – from under the noses of opponents with far greater motivation to do the business.

Sale, safely in the draw for next season's Heineken Cup after finishing second in the Premiership, ended Wasps' hopes of a place by beating them in last weekend's Zurich Championship quarter-final, and dealt Pontypridd a similar body-blow in an engrossing climax to the Parker Pen Shield here in Oxford.

Ponty ran themselves to a standstill in an effort to pinch the last Welsh qualifying place from Swansea, and two of their excellent young loose forwards, Richard Parks and Michael Owen, very nearly made it happen. But Sale were infinitely classier outside the scrum – indeed, they had so much to spare in that department that they were able to absorb a rare duff game from Jason Robinson – and three contrasting second-half tries tipped the argument away from the underdogs.

The first was down to set-piece basics. Chris Jones, a revelation for Sale these last few weeks, got stuck into consecutive Pontypridd line-outs to put his side within five metres of the line, and then won clean ball on his own throw to lay the foundations for Martin Shaw's straightforward finish to the left of the posts. The second was down to Ponty cock-uppery. Paul John, of all people, went absent without leave as his forwards lost control of a driving maul, and when Steve Hanley set sail down the left touch, he was badly missed by both Gareth Wyatt and Brett Davey.

And the third? A touch of old-fashioned genius, actually. Sale, uncomfortable in the scrummage for most of the afternoon, were in full-scale retreat when Bryan Redpath flicked the ball to Charlie Hodgson with the stand-off stranded on the back foot. In a flash, Hodgson was on the front foot, and he stood up the entire Ponty midfield with a subtle show of the ball before sending Dan Harris, the substitute centre, under the posts with a minimum of fuss. Clive Woodward sees the lad as a potential world-beater, and the England manager is not be far wrong.

There was little suggestion of any of this in the opening period, for Sale were as genius-free as Ponty were flawless. Redpath was his customary lively self, and the talented Mark Cueto looked every inch an England wing in the making, especially when he denied the powerful John Bryant a dart at the line with a one-handed pick-up right out of the Jonty Rhodes book of cricketing excellence. But the Welshmen were in something approaching complete control, and they reached the interval 15-3 to the good, courtesy of four Davey penalties and a dropped goal from Ceri Sweeney.

Unfortunately for Ponty, the Redpath-Hodgson double act outclassed John and Sweeney throughout the second half, and gave the Sale loose forwards a choice of targets to hit. Alex Sanderson revelled in this change of fortune, as did Peter Anglesea, who walked off with the man-of-the-match plaudits – a popular decision, albeit one that did the energetic Parks a serious disservice. "I would be happy to die for this club," Anglesea said afterwards, "and to win something, anything, with them is a dream."

His dream fixture right now would be a tilt at Leicester, the European champions. Instead, he must gird his loins for a spectacularly irrelevant Zurich play-off semi-final with Gloucester on Saturday. Remember that old line about the Lord Mayor's Show?

Pontypridd: Try Davies. Conversion Davey. Penalties Davey 4. Drop goal Sweeney. Sale: Tries Shaw, Hanley, Harris. Conversions Hodgson 2. Penalties Hodgson 2.

Pontypridd: B Davey; G Wyatt, S Parker, J Bryant, R Johnston; C Sweeney, P John (capt); G Jenkins, M Davies (M Rees 80), D Bell, B Cockbain, R Sidoli, N Kelly (G Remnant 74), R Parks, M Owen.

Sale: J Robinson; M Cueto, M Shaw, M Deane (D Harris 67), S Hanley; C Hodgson, B Redpath (capt); K Yates, C Marais (A Titterrell 67), S Turner, S Lines, C Jones, A Sanderson, S Pinkerton, P Anglesea.

Referee: A Lewis (Ire).