SEASON PREVIEW: Sale Sharks
Last season:
In many ways, Sale’s mid-table finish owed more to the quality above them. They did very little wrong throughout the season, with the AJ Bell Stadium proving a tricky place for teams to visit. Inconsistency away from home was to be their undoing in challenging the top six, however. Ultimately, Sale never challenged a play off spot with any conviction and neither did they threaten to slip into the lower reaches of the Premiership, ending with an inoffensive mid-table finish that won’t have delighted their fans, but ultimately won’t have unduly upset them.
Sale were dealt a tough hand for their European campaign but, despite being ejected in the group stage without a win, they notably ran Saracens and Munster close.
Sale’s seventh place Premiership finish was not enough for another season in the European Champions Cup, and they will have to be content with a European Challenge Cup campaign.
Players In:
Neil Briggs (Hooker, Leicester)
Peter Stringer (Scrum half, Bath)
Bryn Evans (Lock, Biarritz)
Brian Mujati (Prop, Racing 92)
A relatively quiet summer of recruitment at the AJ Bell Stadium, with experience being the focus. Even in the twilight of his career, Irish veteran Stringer will bring much to the squad on and off the pitch and may be a shrewd piece of business. Briggs will hope to make more of an impact than he did at Leicester, and may feel as though he has unfinished business returning to the club he left in 2011.
Evans and Mujati will be formidable additions to the tight five and will look to add some clout to the Sharks pack.
Players Out:
Marc Jones (Hooker, Bristol)
Mark Cueto (Winger, retired)
Michael Paterson (Lock/Flanker, Northampton)
Will Cliff (Scrum half, Bristol)
Nathan Fowles (Scrum half, Edinburgh)
Nathan Hines (Lock, retired)
Andy Forsyth (Full back/Centre, Yorkshire Carnegie)
Alberto De Marchi (Prop, Benetton Treviso)
Luke McLean (Fly half, Benetton Treviso)
Darren Fearn (Prop, Darlington Mowden Park)
The biggest loss for Sale will be the retirement of club legend and former England wing Cueto. His constant try scoring threat and his talismanic presence will be missed. Elsewhere the presence and experience of Hines will be a loss, whilst De Marchi and particularly McLean’s return to Italy may deprive them of some much needed cover.
Key Player:
After the disappointment of his exclusion from England’s Rugby World Cup squad, Danny Cipriani will undoubtedly feel he has a point to prove – just as he did when he returned to this country from Melbourne before going on to play some of the best rugby of his career. Cipriani appears to have developed a consistency and maturity to his play. His vision and ability to create space and unlock defences has become invaluable to Sale and, if he is to remain out of the international picture, England’s loss will be Sale’s gain.
Hopes and Fears for 2015/16:
Sale will want to avoid becoming perpetual also-rans. Their Premiership status ought to be safe, but they have not looked like a side likely to trouble the play off positions for some time. Steve Diamond will hope for more from his side this season: they need to ensure they build on a 7th place finish and challenge the top 6 and beyond, rather than stagnate and slip to the lower-mid table reaches of the Premiership. The experience added to the squad will have been recruited with this in mind.
The Sharks face a tough start to the season, with a trip to champions Saracens in round one and a visit from table toppers Northampton in round three. The home clash against Worcester in round two may act as a barometer for where Sale are this season.
Sale may fancy their chances of a European Challenge Cup triumph this season, but will have to negotiate a tricky group with two trips to Southern France first.
LWOS Prediction:
Difficult to see them achieving much more than another mid-table finish. They will hope to go a little better than last season and achieve a European Champions Cup berth through their Premiership finish.
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