Northampton 38

Sharks 3

IT may be worth checking if the Sharks’ team bus ran over a black cat on the way to the ground last Saturday, for Kingsley Jones’s side had no luck at all.

Already shorn of twelve senior players – five injured, one suspended and six on international duty – they picked up five more serious injuries before and during the game and ended up allowing the Saints to go marching in for four tries.

To cap it all, the opposition’s star man was full back Ben Foden, who was nurtured by the Sharks and left for Northampton with a promise of more opportunities at scrum half. From where did Foden wreak havoc? Of course – full back, where everybody at Edgeley Park knows he’s best. His club coach Jim Mallinder was even asking the Lions’ selectors to consider him at fifteen.

Sharks conceded two penalties within the first twenty minutes to Everitt.

Five minutes later, Leck (ribs), Bell (hamstring) and Schofield (groin) had left the field injured.

Schofield was particularly unfortunate, as he pulled up when supporting Hodgson for the Sharks’ best attack of the game and would surely have scored had he not been rendered lame.

Hodgson made the best of the attack by dropping a goal – the Sharks’ only score. Diggin (try) and Everitt (conversion & penalty) put the home side 19-3 ahead at half time.

David Doherty caught yellow card fever during the second half, and Foden scored his inevitable try, Myler converting.

Hodgson continued to use his vast experience and kept the Sharks in the game, abetted by the brave Will Cliff, returning somewhat hurriedly from a serious facial injury.

The pressure on the visiting defence took its toll near the end. Lamont, O’Donnell and Hodgson all limped off whilst Wilson and Downey claimed the Saints’ first try-bonus point of the season.

Kingsley Jones described Saturday as his “darkest day”, but accepted, with such a long injury list, there wasn’t a great deal he could do for next Sunday’s game at high-riding Harlequins.

After that, the international players will return for three home games and a difficult trip to table toppers Leicester Tigers.

Sebastien Bruno, Luke McAlister and Richard Wigglesworth aren’t far away from making a return, but Dean Schofield, Chris Leck, Marc Jones and Chris Bell won’t be in action for some weeks. The situation at the top of the table is so compressed that anything could happen.

This defeat, the third on the run, may well have dashed any hopes of a ‘top two’ placing.

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