SALE WIN 21-19 AS LEAD CHANGES HANDS TWICE IN LAST TEN

Sale fielded a strong side for this return match. After going down 31-17 to RGC1404 at Parc Eirias, it was clear from the start that the aim was to make amends for this defeat. Sale kept the lead for 45 minutes in the middle of this game until a try by young substitute wing, Kriss Wilkes, drew the teams level 16-16 in the 69th minute.
Five minutes later, a penalty by outside half Michael Raikes saw RGC1404 take the lead for the first time since the sixth minute of the game. With the score at 19-16 it looked as if the RGC might sneak a win but a strong attack brought Sale a scrum infront of 1404's posts. A few minutes later, a try out wide by Birchall clinched the game for Sale.
The game had started well for RGC1404, early pressure brought them a penalty after 6 minutes. Raikes converted. As is often the case, in the early stages of the modern game, Sale drew level with a penalty by Jordan Davies, 5 minutes later and another penalty took the score to 6-3 to the home side on the 24th minute. Playing at high intensity the home team extended the lead through a try by Will Cliff. Davies converted to make it 13-3 at the break.  It looked at this stage as if Sale were going to be easy winners.
Whatever coach Clive Griffiths said to the team in the interval, it worked because four minutes after the restart, Ciaran Hearn, playing in one of his best games of the season, entered the line with a perfectly timed run to make it 13-8.
RGC were now gaining the ascendancy but a penalty on the hour, by Davies, allowed them to extend the lead. Raikes responded three minutes later and with the score at 16-11, enter Rhyl's young rugby league star Wilkes.
This was a hard, physical contest with good rugby played on both sides. Although the result did not go RGCs way, this is just the sort of closely fought game that development teams need to produce high quality rugby.