Harlequins were not sorry to see the back of Stockport or the holiday period as they returned from the frozen north last night having been condemned to a third defeat by Sale in the space of 20 days by one of rugby's rarer phenomena – a Charlie Hodgson tackle.
Actually that cheap shot is unfair and out of date as the former England fly-half has worked hard to improve his defence since it was so horribly exposed by the All Black centre Ma'a Nonu in the last of Hodgson's 31 caps, in the summer of 2008.
"I haven't got a problem with it – Charlie's been our second-top tackler for the last three weeks," said Sale's director of rugby, Kingsley Jones. But Hodgson freely admits he will never be the game's toughest defender and he was therefore an unlikely hero as, with time up and Quins pressing for an equalising try, he sprinted across the field to bundle one of Ugo Monye's legs into touch inches from the Sale line.
"Any flanker would have been proud of that," said Jones. "It sums up the way he's playing at the moment – the rugby of his life – and also the spirit we've got in the team and the club."
Having returned to Edgeley Park to find no repeat of the blizzard in which they had lost a Heineken Cup tie two weeks ago – although even colder temperatures had left frozen patches in the corners of the pitch – Harlequins were left wondering how they had been frozen out again, having been vastly more enterprising and dangerous with ball in hand for long periods of the match. Their head coach, John Kingston, said the crucial wounds had been self-inflicted, notably the defensive slackness that allowed Sale's hooker, Neil Briggs, to sprint clear from a ruck deep inside his own half and send the promising lock James Gaskell galloping 40 metres to the right corner.
Hodgson added an excellent conversion from the slippery touchline that had been passed fit for play only an hour before kick-off and at the end of a first half in which they had been mostly outplayed Sale led 13-6. Hodgson and Nick Evans then exchanged penalties before a slick combination between Dwayne Peel and Mathew Tait sent Ben Cohen over for the fourth try of what is turning out to be a decent comeback to English rugby, extending the Sharks' lead to 12 points with 23 minutes remaining.
Harlequins should have been the more tired side, Sale having rested most of their big guns at Leicester last weekend. But they surged back to within five points when the replacement flanker Tom Guest burrowed over from close range and Rory Clegg converted.
"I'll be honest, I was really worried when he got that kick, because Quins always have the ability to finish games strongly," said Jones. Thanks to Hodgson, Sale hung on for a third win in five Premiership games that lifts them to seventh in the table, two points behind Harlequins with a game in hand. Having lost to Wasps at Twickenham last Sunday, Quins are in danger of losing touch with the play-off places this weekend.
"It's hard to take because the draw was the least we deserved," said Kingston. "Good luck to Sale but I'm glad we don't have to come back here for a while."
Sale Sharks Macleod; Cueto, Tait, Kennedy, Cohen; Hodgson, Peel; Kerr (O'Donnell, h-t; Halsall, 49), Briggs (Schwalger, 63), Roberts, Schofield (capt), Gaskell, Fearns, Seymour, Koyamaibole.
Tries Gaskell, Cohen Con Hodgson Pens Hodgson 3.
Harlequins Brown; Strettle (Monye, 49), Lowe, Masson, Williams; Evans (Clegg, 57), Care; Croall (Jones, 57), Cairns (Fuga, 57), Lambert (Johnston, 57), Percival (Stephenson, 72), Robson, Robshaw (Guest, 46), Skinner (capt), Easter.
Try Guest Con Clegg Pens Evans 3.
Referee C White (Gloucestershire) Attendance 8,172.
