There will be an end of season sale in the club shop tomorrow so pop in a and grab a bargain!
Also, the MSA are trying to get numbers together to run a coach to Darlington on the final day of the season, visit the MSA desk for more info or see the away travel section.
Bookings for the MPA AGM and Reunion on 23 April can be made with Mary at the Collections Box tomorrow. £30 for season ticket holders. £35 otherwise. Cheque or cash only.
We kept at it and got a deserved try bonus point. They upped the tempo second half and took the game away from us. Some strange decisions given by ref.
We seemed to lose our shape for about the first ten minutes after half time, conceding three scores, and that was the game gone. But we regrouped, stuck at it, got two more tries and earned the BP. And given the difference in league position that was a fair outcome.
The ref did make some strange calls, and seemed unwilling to enforce the ten metre rule when we took quick penalties, but he wasn't the reason we lost.
Although disappointed the first half showed some great spirit and the half time score was a good refection on the course of the game. Second half was mired by some poor refereeing decisions but we will have to live with that. Where we were poor is in the final 10 metres, after doing all the hard work we could not find the final pass to get us over the line. I'm sure it will all come together and look forward to a more settled side for next season.
Although Sale were a very well organised, fit and powerful outfit - we could easily have snatched another two tries - one held up at the death - which, with one converted, would have put us 36 - 43. Very impressed that we kept it going right till the end and never let our heads - and hearts - go down.
Is there number 4 being cited for the forearm, elbow on the moseley player in the maul near the end, I saw it during the game and I thought then it was an illegal dangerous tackle , and seeing it again I still think it should have been a red card.
The Rugby Paper had our attendance at 954 which was by far the best in our division on Saturday. It even outclassed all the Championship Cup games. Despite losing I thought the atmosphere was great.
Was there a match report in the Mercury or the Mail? It's impossible to find one on the execrable Birmingham Live website (but that's Retch plc for you).
Post by Communications Team on Apr 11, 2022 14:23:22 GMT
With the team ensuring there is no chance of relegation this season through the try bonus point on Saturday the run in to the end of the season looks like this, with 10th to 14th place still in the mix for the second relegation spot
I wonder if Tom Benjamin being replaced at half time had a bearing on the score - he's very influential in defence, and it was telling that Sale ran in 3 tries immediately after HT, when perhaps our defence was not quite on point.
In a highly competitive game Moseley made Sale scrap for their win and, were it not for a 10 minutes purple patch just after half time when Sale scored three converted tries ( 21 points ) without reply, could have run Sale closer. I felt that Sale, playing a flat, rush defence and an equally flat attacking line were fortunate not to have been regularly penalised by the referee. In my view subtle off loads in the tackle throughout the game appeared to border on forward passes. Moseley, without a doubt played as a team. The Moseley forwards, up front, gave as good as they got and more than held their own in the tight against a well organised and heavier Sale pack. Even in the line-out Moseley played an assured game with some lovely off the top moves which gave the three-quarters lots of chances to shine. The Moseley three-quarters, to a man, put in some superb, solid defending against the marauding Sale three-quarters who had a very slippery number 11, Thomas Walsh. Moseley gave Sale as good as they got and after around 15 minutes on the clock won a penalty in the Sale half. They kicked for the corner, took a lovely line-out catch and sent Reikiti Maasi-White over the line for the opening unconverted try and open the score 5-0 to Moseley. An unfortunate Moseley knock-on at the restart followed by an equally unfortunate offside penalty 3 minutes later gifted Sale a 7 yards line-out and a converted try for the Sale flanker Jordan Tebbat. That put Sale 5-7 in front. 4 minutes later another Moseley penalty - going in from the side - gifted Sale with yet another penalty, a 5 yards line-out and another unconverted try for the other Sale flanker Andrew Hughes to increase the Sale lead to 5-12. But Moseley, not downhearted took the game back to Sale and, after a further 2 minutes Greg Fisilau put a long pass out Mason Tonks away to who scored an unconverted try in the corner to make the score 10 -12 to Sale. Moseley, on a roller now, surged back up-field after the restart and after a couple of minutes appeared to score but were pulled back for a penalty leading up to the grounding. 4 minutes later, following a penalty tap and go the Sale centre Fergus Mulchrone scored an unconverted 3rd try to make the score 10-17 to Sale. And so it remained up to half time. Moseley had turned up for the match. They were going toe to toe with Sale and had everything to play for in the second half.
Same came out for the second half all guns blazing and following sustained, relentless pressure scored 3 converted tries within a 10 minute purple patch which effectively sealed the game for Sale. After just 4 minutes of the second half a clean, well-supported break resulted in a converted bonus point try which made the score 10-24 to Sale. 3 minutes later yet another converted try under the post increased that to 10-31. 6 minutes later Moseley gifted Sale yet another penalty and from the resultant line-out Sale increased their score by yet another 7 points to 10-38. Moseley had no intention of throwing in the towel, far from it. They struck back with some good solid defending and not a few good half breaks of their own until Mason Tonks broke free and scored Moseley’s third try. Dan Lewis added the points to put the score 17-38 to Sale. Might Moseley get the bonus try? Just 6 minutes later Sale made another clean break and scored a try in the top corner. The conversion was missed which left the score at 17-43 to Sale. Although the game was all but lost Moseley, to their credit did not give up. They simply piled on the pressure and after yet another 6 minutes period it was their turn to be gifted a penalty. A quick tap and go and Jacques le Roux scored the all-important bonus try for Moseley. Dan Lewis kicked the conversion to put the score 24 -43 to sale. With about 6 minutes to go might Moseley earn a losing bonus as well as the try bonus? They certainly went for it harassing Sale into a number of penalties - one an extra 10 for Sale back-chat – but despite a monumental effort failed to score again. The score did not reflect just how much Moseley pressured Sale out of their comfort zone. Indeed had it not been for the Sale second half purple patch Moseley might just have upset the form books.
