Blackheath 31 Sale FC 27 – Blackheath Rugby

A pulsating climax, but a game Blackheath really should have closed out long before the final whistle sounded.

The Club played some of the best rugby of their National League One campaign to date in the opening half hour, carving out a 17-point advantage only for a wobble around half time seeing it eroded.

In the end they did enough to claim a deserved victory, but only after a massive defensive effort in the closing play which saw them turn possession five metres from their own goal-line, and greet the referee’s signal for time with great relief.

With Sale conceding five penalties in the first seven minutes, Billy Harding was driven across for Blackheath’s first try, only for Sale wing Tom Walsh to collect his own charge-down immediately from the re-start and score at the other end, the successful conversion inching the visitors into the lead.

Only briefly, however, as Jordan Burns kept play infield for Josh Smart to send Jake Hennessey across for a try, and as the first scrum ended with a Blackheath penalty, second-row Mike Etete made a great carry into the Sale defence, Tom Baldwin made further ground, and Harding crossed out wide for the hooker’s second score, fly-half Tom Ffitch adding his second conversion.

Burns then darted blind off the back of a five-metre scrum, the Club scrum-half demonstrating great power to force his way over the goal-line for the four-try bonus and a 24-7 lead on 30 minutes.

Nevertheless, as errors crept into Blackheath’s game, the advantage was quickly overturned with 20-unanwered points from the visitors.

Prior to the interval, Sale number-eight Stone Priestley-Nangle drove over from a quickly-taken tap-penalty, and as the hosts continued to infringe after the re-start, Will Hunt added two penalties to the fly-half’s two earlier conversions.

Then, as Blackheath tried to respond, another charge-down saw ball fall neatly for Walsh again, this time the wing speeding 80-metres to put Sale three-points ahead.

Blackheath regained the momentum, picking and driving infield before spreading the ball wide for Leo Fielding, the outside-centre gliding over, giving Blackheath the lead once more, but although the Club hammered away looking for the killer blow, Sale defended resolutely, putting in some big hits.

The breakout inevitably came in the closing minutes, and as the Sale lineout, which had failed at times, presented clean ball on two occasions, it was Blackheath’s defence that ultimately made the difference.

‘For the first half-hour we were outstanding,’ said Blackheath DoR James Shanahan.  ‘Our power, kicking game and defence were excellent, and we were clinical in their twenty-two.’

‘Sale’s try before half-time though, really lifted them and we fell off the rails a bit, going off-script trying to force things and instead of scoring under the posts, they charge-down, go the length of the field, and it’s a 14-point swing.’

‘The last 10 minutes could have gone either way, and huge defence from the forwards in the end, but if we’d lost we’d have been pretty disappointed.’

The victory makes it three bonus-point wins on the spin for Blackheath who head for Berkshire next Saturday, and league-leaders Rams.  Kick-off at Old Bath Road is at 3.00 pm.

Blackheath

Tries:   Harding 9, 23, Hennessey 13, Burns 31, Fielding 56

Conv:  Ffitch 13, 23, 56

Sale FC

Tries:   Walsh 11, 52, Priestley-Nangle 39

Conv:  Hunt 11, 39, 52

Pens:   Hunt 44, 46

Attendance: 305

Photos:  Debbie Lloyd

Graham Cox