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| | Friday, 13 September, 2002, 21:11 GMT 22:11 UK Sale down sorry Tigers  Leicester have now lost two of their three games Sale 29-16 Leicester Premiership runners-up Sale handed defending champions Leicester their second defeat of the new season at Heywood Road. Sale scored two tries through Nick Walshe and Chris Jones and fly-half Charlie Hodgson added 19 points with the boot. The Tigers, who trailed 12-6 at half-time, fought back to within three points at one stage in the second period through an Austin Healey drop-goal. But a try from Harry Ellis and eight points from Stimpson, who passed 1,000 Premiership points in the process, could not repair the damage.
Tigers coach Dean Richards lost 10 of his squad to England training in the run-up to the match but refused to blame defeat on the disruption. "It did have a bearing but I don't think that it's an excuse for losing. "We put a lot of pressure on Sale but we let them back in and it comes back to decision making. "I think we have to look at our decision making in certain areas." Full-back Stimpson, starting the game on 999 points, passed the landmark with his first penalty eight minutes into the game.
He tops the Premiership points-scoring record from Northampton's Paul Grayson, Newcastle's Jonny Wilkinson and Kenny Logan of Wasps, who have all passed 900 points. Hodgson and Stimpson then traded penalties until Walshe, a first-half replacement for Bryan Redpath, went over on 45 minutes, after good work from England star Jason Robinson. Hodgson duly converted for 19-6 before Ellis hit back for the Tigers shortly after. Stimpson added the conversion and Healey's drop-goal brought the Tigers back to 19-16 down. But Sale increased their lead when England A lock Jones raced over from 50m out on 64 minutes. And despite the late appearance of England flanker Neil Back for Leicester, Hodgson's boot kept his side in front until the whistle. Critical Sale coach Jim Mallinder was delighted with the way his side bounced back from defeat to gloucester last week. "I think we worked hard in our organisation and it was a performance from the heart," he said. "We got the defeat out of our system on Monday. "We had a down to earth session and we looked at where we went wrong and the lads were very critical of themselves. You've got to look forward. "It was a fantastic game to get ourselves up for and thankfully we managed it." Sale: Robinson, Cueto, Baxendell, Harris, Hanley, Hodgson, Redpath, Titterrell, Thorp, Stewart, C. Jones, Lines, A. Sanderson, Pinkerton, Anglesea. Replacements: Marais, Yates, Schofield, Perelini, Deane, Going, Walshe. Leicester: Stimpson, Booth, Gelderbloom, Naufahu, Tuilagi, Healey, Ellis, Freshwater, Chuter, Tournaire, M. Johnson, Deacon, Short, Kronfeld, Corry. Replacements: Kay, Rowntree, West, Vesty, Tierney, Back, Hipkiss. Referee: Tony Spreadbury (RFU) | |
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