Hodgson steals the show

Charlie Hodgson was the centre of attention after guiding Sale to a 20-6 victory over Bristol at Edgeley Park.

England No.10 praised for class display

Charlie Hodgson was the centre of attention after guiding Sale to a 20-6 victory over Bristol at Edgeley Park. Hodgson landed 15 points - including two drop goals - and produced a superb kicking display to keep the West Country side on the back foot. And both sets of coaches had no doubt who the star man was although Sharks director of rugby Phillipe Saint-Andre was worried about losing Hodgson to England. He said: "Charlie was back to his best and I was very pleased with the overall performance because we deserved to win. "He was going into contact much more and his kicking game was fantastic.

Magnificent

"He was kicking into the corner and his pass for our try was magnificent. "I don't want to say too much because maybe England will call him up for the World Cup quarter-final!" Bristol coach Richard Hill echoed Saint-Andre's comments, adding: "Hodgson was right on top of his kicking game and sooner or later you're going to drop the ball, and we did. "He had great length and great accuracy in wet conditions and that made it very difficult for us to get out of our own third and therefore get any possession."