Hodgson's canter leaves Harlequins in disgrace

Harlequins 0 Sale 45

Sale retained second place in the Premiership with a committed, organised and efficient performance, although they were probably a little surprised to have secured all the available points as early as the 65th minute, when Charlie Hodgson cantered over for their fourth try.

Quins are famous for excelling at home and notorious for appalling away, and yet they gifted Sale only their third league win away from Heywood Road with a performance so abject that the Sharks were never stretched or threatened in defence.

Quite simply, Quins were utterly pointless in method as well as score, although in mitigation they were hindered by Dan Luger playing at full-back, an unfamiliar role that excused his dreadful kicking, and Jason Leonard switching to tight-head, something he may have to do for England against France next week.

However, there can be no excuses for losing 45-0, a worst-ever home Premiership defeat which also ended a six-match unbeaten league run at The Stoop. They knocked-on, fumbled and on the occasions they retained the ball ran sideways across the pitch rather than down it.

Modern defences drift easily and Sale's, marshalled by the excellent Graeme Bond, absorbed Quins' attacks and frequently their possession. The Australian was equally adept offensively, setting up Chris Jones for Sale's opening score in the 16th minute with a powerful break and off-load. The second row overpowered Luger, and then scored the second in the 53rd minute, slicing through the Quins defensive line.

Throughout, Quins' tackling was poor and as the game progressed it became non-existent, making a mockery of the pitch having been narrowed by four yards, possibly with the intention of squeezing the Premiership's two leading try scorers, Mark Cueto and Steve Hanley. Whatever the reason, it failed. Cueto benefited from a Dan Harris break from midfield in the 62nd minute, Hodgson followed down the right flank two minutes later and then Hanley proved the left was equally vulnerable in the 81st.

It was a five-try trouncing that left the Quins players in disgrace and their head coach, Mark Evans, dejected. "It was terrible, no other word for it," he said. "Quite simply if we play like that we will go down, we won't win another game this season. We were equally poor in both halves, never got our game going and then completely fell apart."

Including their poor second half at Newcastle last week, this is a worrying trend for Quins who now have a week off. A week, incidentally, that was planned back in July and Evans is not altering, although a few players need to use it for some serious contemplation.

Harlequins: D Luger; R Jewell, W Greenwood, V Satala, M Moore; P Burke, S Bemand (M Powell, 54); B Starr, T Fuga (J Evans, 54), J Leonard, B Davison (S Miall, 54), A Codling (L Sherriff, 54), A Tiatia, T Diprose (P Cardinali, 67), A Vos (capt).

Sale: J Robinson (V Going, 68); M Cueto, D Harris, G Bond, S Hanley; C Hodgson (J Baxendell, 68), B Redpath (capt; N Walshe, 65); K Yates, A Titterrell (C Marais, 65), B Stewart (S Turner, 55), C Jones, D Schofield (I Fullarton, 55), A Sanderson, P Anglesea (P Davies, 65), S Pinkerton.

Referee: S Lander (Liverpool).