It seems so far away, yet the new season is slowly creeping up on us. More excitingly, new signings are being announced all over the country and it’s looking to be one of the most exhilarating seasons in years in the battle for victory. For those itching for the Premiership to start, it might be good to get to know your club’s new faces a little better.
Sale Sharks have been left a number of spaces to fill after the departure of valuable players such as James Gaskell and Dwayne Peel, to name but a few. Steve Diamond and his coaching staff will need their new additions to fit in swiftly and surely so that they can get this season off to a good start, hopefully improving on last year’s sixth place finish.
Sale Sharks Signings
Nathan Hines
Age: 37
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 18st 6lbs
Position: Lock
With an almost 20-year-long career to his name, Hines has signed for two seasons and will replace James Gaskell in the forward pack. He came to the Northern Hemisphere in 1999 after playing both rugby league and union. Since then he has won the Heineken Cup with Leinster and gained 72 caps for Clermont, which is where he joins Sale from. Retiring from international rugby after the 2011 World Cup, the Scottish powerhouse oozes experience having taken part in three World Cups, gaining 77 caps for his country and being a member of the British and Irish Lions tour of 2009.
Chris Cusiter
Age: 32
Height: 5’1”
Weight: 13st 4lbs
Position: Scrum Half
Joining Scotland teammate Hines, Cusiter will join the Sharks from Glasgow, where he has played since 2010. The scrum-half has over 60 caps for Scotland that have been acquired since his debut against Wales in the 2004 Six Nations. He won Man of the Match in 2005 for his performance in a clash with France, before playing in the British and Irish Lions tour later that year. He then went on to captain his country’s side in all three Autumn International matches in 2009 and the Six Nations campaign of 2010. This wealth of experience will bode well for Sale, and with the departure of Dwayne Peel, Cusiter will more than likely be one of Steve Diamond’s top pickings.
Darren Fearn
Age: 25
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 20st 0lbs
Position: Prop
Following a two-year stint with Championship side Bedford Blues, this will not be Fearn’s first experience of the Premiership; he joined Newcastle Falcons in 2010 and earned four caps for the side who finished 11th in the table that season. The loosehead also gained a cap with the England Students team in 2009, while he studied at Northumbria University. Forceful and intimidating on the front row, he will no doubt be a great investment for the Sharks.
Alberto De Marchi
Age: 28
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 17st 3lbs
Position: Prop
Sale managed to beat off competition from Toulon for the Italian prop, who moves from Benetton Treviso. Likely to fill the gap left by Henry Thomas, De Marchi will also aid Sale thanks to his knowledge gained on an international level, having played well for Italy Under-21’s, Italy ‘A’ side and having a great spell recently at the 2014 Six Nations. Steve Diamond described the prop as “a good scrummager, very mobile around the pitch; he’s also a good defender.”
Luke McLean
Age: 27
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 14st 12lbs
Position: Fullback
Born in Australia, McLean represented his home country at under-19’s level, winning the World Under 19 Championships. However, qualifying to also play for Italy, he made his first senior international debut in 2008 against South Africa, and played in his first Six Nations the following year (scoring his first international points on this debut.) The fullback, who can also play fly half, gained four more caps at the 2011 World Cup, amounting his total to more than 60. He joins Sale with former Treviso teammate De Marchi, having appeared 79 times for the Italian team.
Magnus Lund
Age: 31
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 16st 7lbs
Position: Flanker
This is the start of a second spell at Sale for Lund, who left in 2008 to join Biarritz. He made his first senior debut with the Sharks in 2002 after impressing coaches whilst playing for England youth teams. The Manchester-born flanker scored a try in Sale’s winning performance in the Premiership final of 2006, a year that also saw Lund play for the England Sevens team at the Commonwealth Games, in which they won a silver medal. His international experience branches out further after he took part in the under-21’s World Cup of 2003 in South Africa, then continued on to achieve 10 caps for the England Elite side.
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