Sale boss Steve Diamond feels Wales have made a mistake not selecting Dwayne Peel for the World Cup after praising his display against London Irish.
Both coaches say Peel should be with Wales in World Cup squad
Sale boss Steve Diamond feels Wales have made a mistake not selecting Dwayne Peel for the World Cup after praising his display against London Irish.
Peel was overlooked for Wales' World Cup squad but was the outstanding performer as the Sharks bounced back from their opening-day defeat at Worcester to ignite their campaign with a hard-fought win.
The Sharks edged an absorbing encounter 30-29, which saw them claim two first-half tries from Henry Thomas and James Gaskell before Peel went over for a decisive second-half score.
"Peel was outstanding and led by example," said Diamond.
"Wales must have good scrum-halves or poor selectors - probably a combination of the two - but Peely has got over being left out and we're happy to have him here."
Stanley
Diamond presided over a major overhaul during the summer and is still missing a host of players due to World Cup duty.
"It's always good to win at home and we've achieved that but we're not the finished article just yet," he added. "We're not Real Madrid at this moment in time, we're more Accrington Stanley."
Irish head coach Toby Booth could not fault the desire of his young side but showed his frustration at a second successive defeat.
"It's frustrating but unfortunately the scoreboard doesn't lie and we've come second after a very battling performance, which you have to do at Sale.
"Everyone knows how young we are as a team and we have to make sure we learn our lessons quickly."
Peel
Booth also admitted that Peel proved the difference between the sides, and joined Diamond in questioning Wales' decision to omit him from their World Cup squad in New Zealand.
"Dwayne Peel was excellent and there's no substitute for experience," Booth added. "He's a world-class player who I believe should be sitting many miles away.
"But it's frustrating for us because we battled and competed well, yet you have to maintain your concentration for long periods of time.
"It was two inexperienced sides and that's why there was such an ebb and flow to the game."
