Gloucester 36-20 Sale Sharks: Cherry & Whites Player ratings from Sale win includes a Santi Carreras masterclass
01/06/2025 04:26 AM
Santi Carreras starred as Gloucester were deserved winners at Kingsholm Stadium over in-form opponents Sale Sharks. Despite a few moments where it appeared that the visitors could make something happen, these were few and far between and it ended with a comfortable victory that was the least that their performance warranted.
The hosts had the better of the first half and some quick ball movement paid dividends with three tries in the opening 40.
The highlight for the Cherry and Whites start was their opener after just five minutes, as Santi Carreras finished off a move that started in their own 22 and ended with the opening points of the game after their play proved too fast for the visitors.
It looked as if the hosts would have a comfortable lead going into the break, but a late Sharks flourish led to a Ben Curry try accompanied by a Mayco Vivas yellow card which gave Sale hope going into the second period.
Despite a second half which was started by some Sale pressure, the hosts turned it up a notch and got tries at crucial moments to put the game beyond doubt and get a huge bonus point victory which takes them up to third in the Premiership standings.
GLOUCESTER RUGBY: 36
Gloucester Starting XV:
TRIES: Santi Carreras 5' Max Llewellyn 20' 61' Josh Hathaway 26' Tomos Wiliams 76'
CONVERSIONS: Santi Carreras 21' 27' 62' 77'
PENALTIES: Santi Carreras 15'
DROP GOALS:
YELLOW CARDS: Mayco Vivas 39' Arthur Clark 57'
RED CARDS:
15. Santi Carreras 14. Max Llewellyn 13. Chris Harris 12. Seb Atkinson 11. Josh Hathaway 10. Gareth Anscombe 9. Tomos Williams 1. Mayco Vivas 2. Jack Singleton 3. Kirill Gotovtsev 4. Freddie Thomas 5. Arthur Clark 6. Jack Clement 7. Lewis Ludlow (c) 8. Ruan Ackerman
Replacements:
16. Seb Blake 17. Val Rapava-Ruskin 18. Ciaran Knight 19. Freddie Clark 20. Albert Tuisue 21. Caolan Englefield 22. George Barton 23. Charlie Atkinson
SALE SHARKS: 20
Sale Sharks Starting XV:
TRIES: Ben Curry 40' Luke Cowan-Dickie 58' Tom Roebuck 63'
CONVERSIONS: Rob du Preez 40+1'
PENALTIES: Rob du Preez 19'
DROP GOALS:
YELLOW CARDS:
RED CARDS:
15. Joe Carpenter 14. Tom Roebuck 13. Rob du Preez 12. Luke James 11. Tom O'Flaherty 10. Tom Curtis 9. Gus Warr 1. Bevan Rodd 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie 3. Asher Opoku-Fordjour 4. Ernst van Rhyn 5. Jonny Hill 6. Tom Curry 7. Ben Curry (c) 8. Jean-Luc du Preez
Replacements:
16. Tadgh McElroy 17. Si McIntyre 18. WillGriff John 19. Josh Beaumont 20. Dan du Preez 21. Nye Thomas 22. Sam Bedlow 23. Sam Dugdale
GLOUCESTER RUGBY PLAYER RATINGS
15 Santi Carreras – 8.5
Involved in almost everything for his team from deep. Didn't let an early conversion miss affect him too much with some very good kicking both from the tee and his hands.
An audacious 50/22 kick that led to a dangerous attack was his defining moment, but he also got on the try scoring list with a tidy finish in the opening five minutes.
Ran the show and despite a couple of minor blemishes deserved the Player of the Match award.
14 Max Llewellyn – 7.5
Did what all wingers need to and scored himself a couple of tries from being in the right position.
It would have been a hat-trick if not for a forward pass but that was amended only moments after when he rounded last man Tom O'Flaherty with ease to finish.
On another day could have had more but will be very happy with what he produced regardless.
13 Chris Harris – 7.5
In contention for Player of the Match if not for a few other outstanding performances.
Was involved in all things physical both on and off the ball with some huge hits both on him and by him.
Stopped a certain try in a time when his team were under a lot of pressure with an immense tackle within a few yards of the try line.
12 Seb Atkinson – 7
The deft touch that Harris needed next to him, with some quick ball movement throughout that created openings. Got a neat assist for one of Llewellyn's tries.
11 Josh Hathaway – 7.5
Similar to Llewellyn in that it was a very good wingers’ performance in which he finished off nicely and tried to make things happen all round.
Again, he could have had more with luck in his favour but he will have his head held high after that one.
10 Gareth Anscombe – 6
Steady game for Gareth in the first half, after which he was replaced by George Barton. Some good ball movement but unfortunately was overshadowed by his teammates.
Had a big say on the third try with a brilliant pass but wasn't responsible for a huge amount. Defensively wasn't bad with a big tackle on Joe Carpenter being his best.
9 Tomos Williams – 8
Ran the show as he usually does and capped off the performance with a try at the end. A brilliantly improvised assist for the opener put Gloucester well on their way for the big win. Is always impressive but this time showed a bit of extra class that was needed on the day.
1 – Mayco Vivas – 6
Got a cheap yellow card when his side were under the cosh, was physically good in comparison to his opponents but did very nearly cost his team, they looked better when he came off in truth.
2 – Jack Singleton – 6.5
Was solid enough from the lineout with his only blemish being an opimistic long throw which nearly came off. Had a good game but not his best ever.
3 – Kirill Gotovtsev – 6.5
A good shift from the prop, who went toe-to-toe with a front row who may have been more fancied going into the game. Won a crucial scrum penalty in his own 22 but came off after 50 minutes. It could be argued that his substitution benefited Sale but was necessary after a big shift.
4 – Freddie Thomas- 7
Was very physical and his ball carrying skills were shown with a beautiful line break that ended up leading to a third try for the hosts. Did enough to keep out the opposition well and came off to a standing ovation, he has thus far justified the faith put into him by Gloucester after getting a new deal recently.
5 – Arthur Clark – 6
Another player who got a yellow at a poor time for a needless infringement, Clark was otherwise good but unremarkable. His teammates helped him through this one somewhat.
6 – Jack Clement – 6.5
Ruffled the feathers of the Curry brothers a bit, and at times his opposite numbers looked like they were rattled by him. Put a couple of huge hits on Sale players, which provided a defensive solidity sometimes lacked by Gloucester, that helped them to a strong lead held at his substitution.
7 – Lewis Ludlow (c) – 7.5
Sealed the deal with a beautiful interception and pass to Llewellyn which put the game beyond doubt. Alongside Clement he ruffled some feathers and showed a very good side to his game on both sides. A proper captain’s performance which was well received by his supporters.
8 – Ruan Ackerman – 6.5
Helped his side to a healthy lead going into the second half before being taken off just after the break. Involved in a lot of physical play which was crucial in attaining the lead but with not a huge amount of substance attached. Ended up coming back on only minutes after being taken off, his second half was less impressive but he still had a good game overall and provided a good platform for others.
Replacements – 7
Some good changes from George Skivington at crucial times led to a late flourish which secured the points for them, everyone played their part to a good degree.
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