SALE SHARKS V NEWCASTLE FALCONS
Friday 8th March, KO: 19:45
SALE SHARKS WOMEN V TRAILFINDERS
Saturday 9th March, KO: 14:00
WELCOME BACK TO THE SALFORD STADIUM FOR A REALLY IMPORTANT GAME AGAINST A TEAM LED FOR THE FIRST TIME BY ON OLD FRIEND IN STEVE DIAMOND. IT’S A ‘FRIENDLY’ BUT ONLY IN NAME.
I’ve played in charity games that have turned into scraps and we know that if we go into any game expecting to have it all our own way, we’ll come out bruised and battered and on the end of a defeat. Northern bragging rights are at stake but more than that, we’ve worked really hard and I want that work to bear fruit.
Dimes’ teams are always a reflection of his personality and I expect them to be aggressive, gritty and competitive because that’s the DNA of the club and of any club that he has ever coached. I’m expecting them to bring the unexpected and maybe have some trick plays up their sleeve. If we’re not alive to them then we could easily come unstuck like we did at their place in the PRC. We know they’ll be canny in some of their setpiece work and they have some real quality in the backs. It’s going to be nothing short of a scrap and we’ll need to be ready to outwork and outenthuse them and if we don’t, it’ll be a long evening.
What do I want out of tonight from our perspective? I want to test our
mettle against Premiership quality. I want to test our emotional levels and I want to see evidence of some of the progress I believe we’ve made in these last three weeks of training. It’s been a bit like an intense pre-season and a chance for us to rebuild. There wasn’t much wrong with the first third of the season but we weren’t winning games in the way we felt we should have done. So we had a few days off and we all came in wanting to be better versions of ourselves. I don’t know any other way.
We’ve worked on improving our execution and our detail in attack and we want to get back to our best
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by way of set-piece dominance. Newcastle are high up in the maul dominance and scrum dominance tables so it’ll be a real test for our setpiece. But I want to see what we’ve been working on come to the fore.
The last few weeks have given us a good period of reflection after what was a disappointing end to the last block of fixtures. As coaches we’ve looked in really fine detail at how we can improve the programme across the board, how we can streamline sessions and warm-ups, and how we’re delivering the detail. We need to coach better and improve what we’re doing. The players said the same and they’ve held themselves to account, so we’ve come at it from two different perspectives, but we’re aligned in our thoughts on the way forward.
We want to affect change for the better. Not wholesale change, but we know we need to change. With any change comes conflict, from coaches to coaches, coaches to players, players to players and players to coaches, and we all need to be ok with that conflict. If it’s needed, then we’re not afraid of going there. So I continue to be quite annoying and there have been times in the last few weeks when I’ve had to go to someone and say ‘I said that the wrong way but do you get where I’m coming from.’
I really feel like we’re getting the reaction we want but we’ll see the evidence tonight and in coming weeks. In my experience, teams where players take ownership at this stage in the season have the best chance of getting what they want come the end of the season.
The player merry-go-round has
started and along with the exciting new contracts we’ve announced for guys like Joe Carpenter, Gus Warr, Bevan Rodd and others, and the departure of Cobus Wiese, we’ve announced our first new signing for next season. Le Roux Roets will join us from the Sharks in South Africa and he’ll bring with him unparalleled physicality because of his size. He has big shoes to fill and we’re gutted Cobus is leaving but Le Roux will be someone who can really give us plenty of go-forward. We’re expecting him to be really destructive in the tight and on the right side of the scrum but the guy can move too. His heart and his values are in the right place and he wants to better himself and step out of the shadows of Etzebeth and prove himself. He’s coming here to leave a mark and we’re excited to get him here.
There are other areas we’re looking to improve and potentially recruit for and we’re hoping to announce more retentions and maybe some new names in the next week or two. So watch this space. But for tonight, all our focus is on Newcastle and on the players hoping to lay down a marker ahead of the restart of the Premiership in a couple of weeks.
Enjoy the game,
Al
WELCOME, FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, TO THE SALFORD STADIUM FOR A SALE SHARKS WOMEN FIXTURE. IT’S A MASSIVE MOMENT FOR THE CLUB AND FOR OUR TEAM AND WE ARE ALL DETERMINED TO PUT ON A GOOD SHOW IN FRONT OF WHAT WILL BE OUR BIGGEST EVER HOME CROWD.
First of all, thank you so much for your support today. For those of you who have watched us this season at Heywood Road, you’ll know it’s been a rollercoaster season. We’ve had more than our fair share of injuries in some really key positions, plus some rearranged games have meant that we’ve had games in what should have been reserve weeks. The same group has had to play week after week and, while results haven’t always gone our way, the players have worked so hard and put in some really good performances in parts of every game.
We’ve struggled without some of our key players but the group understands that this is a long-term project and it’s very difficult to accelerate it any faster than we are going. There have been loads of positives out of a difficult period and one of the big ones has been that we have been able to expose some of our really talented young players to the PWR probably earlier than we would have expected to. I also
WELCOME, FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, TO THE SALFORD STADIUM FOR A SALE SHARKS WOMEN FIXTURE.
think we’ve all figured out exactly what kind of team we want to be and that’s massive for the future. This time is really important for us to build for next season now and giving young players who have been ID’d through England U18s or U20s programmes more game time will mean we’ve got more strength in depth going forward.
That said, there’s still loads to go after this season and we’re hoping that by the last couple of games, we’ll have our full-strength team available. Then we’ll really get a flavour of where this group is and I know we’re going to show everyone how good we really are. Players like Lizzie Duffy, Morwenna Talling and Sara Tounesi are huge for us and it has been tough to be without them for long periods.
Our visitors this weekend are a new team to the league but they’ve taken to it really well. They’re a really physical team and they’ve got some real power.
We know they’ll come very direct at us, but they’ve got the ability to get the ball wide too and we know we can’t let players like Abby Dow get too much ball in space. As with any new team, they’re still finding their feet and working out what their DNA is but I know Giselle Mather is a really expressive coach and you can see that in the way they play. They’re not as structured as some teams and I think that suits them. We’ve got to find a balance between playing with structure and being able to cut loose.
As I said, we’ve had some tough fixtures recently including two games against Gloucester and one against Exeter. We felt like we took lots of learnings from those games but then didn’t put them into practice against Loughborough last week. We’ve had a
good training week leading up to this game and I’m really looking forward to seeing some of those things we learned against Gloucester and Exeter come to the fore this weekend. We’ve had good periods in games this season without putting together a solid 80 minutes and that’s been a big focus this week.
I’m really confident the team will rise to the occasion and get a lift from playing at the Salford Stadium. We’re a different team at home and with a good crowd behind us, I can’t wait to see us run out at a place where we have a real emotional tie. Wouldn’t it be brilliant if we can tempt some of those fans who are watching us for the first time this weekend back to Heywood Road to support us every week.
We’ll never know what could have been this season if key players had stayed fit, but I promise we’ll be stronger for it next season. The level of the PWR has gone up and while our level has gone up too, our challenge now is to accelerate our development and close the gap. We’ve got so much potential here and the future of women’s rugby at Sale Sharks and right across our region is so, so bright.
Enjoy the game and thank you again, Tails
IT’S BEEN A WHILE, BUT WELCOME BACK TO THE SALFORD STADIUM FOR A GAME THAT NO-ONE HERE IS CALLING A FRIENDLY. I’M NOT INVOLVED UNFORTUNATELY AS I PICKED UP A GRADE TWO PECTORAL STRAIN WHILE I WAS AWAY WITH ENGLAND. THAT ASIDE, IT WAS GREAT TO BE INVOLVED WITH ENGLAND.
Over the past few years I’ve spent a lot of time hoping to be picked and then being disappointed when I didn’t make squads. This time around, while it was obviously frustrating not to play, I really enjoyed my time in the squad.
I’ve loved working with Felix Jones because he’s brought a real energy and emphasis on the defensive work. It’s brilliant when someone comes into an environment with new ideas. It gives everyone something positive to go for and focus on and I thought the whole squad responded.
England camps are incredibly intense and I had a week off after my injury to get away. I went to Amsterdam with my girlfriend and, to be honest, it took me three days to properly de-stress and relax. I think I’m pretty good at making sure I recover mentally but it was tough.
The Sale lads had some time off after the last Premiership games too, and I think that was much needed after a run of games that we all know weren’t good enough. When you’re playing every week it can be difficult to make
WELCOME BACK TO THE SALFORD STADIUM FOR A GAME THAT NOONE HERE IS CALLING A FRIENDLY
changes when things are going wrong so this Six Nations break has come at a good time for us. There have been loads of honest conversations and everyone is fully focused and really excited to get going again and put things right.
It’s hard to put your finger on one or two things we need to improve. Every aspect of our game needs to be better and we’re all really clear on what we need to do to start winning again. The great thing with this league is that everyone seems to beat everyone so we know a couple of wins could make everything and everyone feel a bit more positive. Obviously, the prep for the second part of the season starts with this game against Newcastle and with Steve Diamond in charge now, everyone knows it’s going to be a big challenge. No points are on the line but we won’t be holding back and I’m expecting a big physical battle.
It’s almost that time of year again when as a club we ask you to renew your season tickets. Attendances have been going up steadily for the last couple of years and I promise you, the players do see and hear you all in the stands. We’ve had a couple of full houses this season and the atmosphere has been amazing. When I was injured at the start of the season I watched some games from the stands too, and I know that the fan experience is so much better when the stadium is full. I really hope you can get behind us again next season.
Enjoy the game,
Ben
Sale Sharks Women are back in action on Saturday 13th April, taking on Loughborough Lightning in the Allianz Cup .
All Sale Sharks season ticket holders and U16s get in for FREE , or you can pay on the door.
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[COWORKING] SPACES [FLEXIBLE] WORKING [HOT] DESKS [MEETING] ROOMS [EVENT] SPACES [GYM] ONSITE
FIRST OF ALL, CAN I SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT THIS WEEKEND AT THE SALFORD STADIUM. EVERYONE IS SUPER-EXCITED ABOUT PLAYING AT THE STADIUM. IT’S A CHANCE FOR US TO MAKE HISTORY AND TO DO IT IN FRONT OF OUR BIGGEST TURNOUT OF SUPPORTERS WILL BE AMAZING.
I guess it adds an extra element of pressure but we’re huge underdogs in the league at the moment and we just need to focus on ourselves and making sure we put on the kind of performance that I know we’re capable of.
It’s been a really challenging season for us as a group and we’ve had to cope with so many injuries and changes. Looking from the outside I bet it’s hard to see the potential in this squad, but I can tell you that there is so much. For us, it’s about trying to work hard and get better each week.
In the absence of some of our big names, young, northern players have stepped up and fought for the shirt and while it might be tough now, this year will end up being really important for us. Next season we’ll have a squad of 40 players who have all played and developed against the best teams in the league.
Last time we played Ealing we lost by a couple of points but we came away
IT’S A CHANCE FOR US TO MAKE HISTORY AND TO DO IT IN FRONT OF OUR BIGGEST TURNOUT OF SUPPORTERS WILL BE AMAZING.
feeling like we definitely should have won, so this game is all about putting that right. But as I said, we know we’re the underdogs in this league and we can’t take any game for granted. Coming into this game, we have to bring the same intensity and level of performance as if we were playing Gloucester or Saracens. Nothing changes.
Ealing are a new team but they’ve really gelled well and it’s going to be a big challenge for us to get the win. They’re a big, physical side but they are playing creative, expansive rugby too. We need to match them up front otherwise it’ll be a tough day.
We’ve had a great training week leading into this game, including a training session run by Tom Curry. It was great to have Tom along and for me, I loved the focus he had on aggression and mindset. So often I feel like our skill level is up there on a par with other teams, but we’re not ready to fight. It highlighted how important that side of the game is, along with the technical side.
It was also another example of how the men’s and women’s teams at Sale Sharks are working together. We get so much support from the lads and I know they’re going to be there to watch us this weekend. It really feels like one club and we know we have everyone behind us.
Now it’s just up to us to put in that 80-minute performance we know we’re capable of.
Georgie Perris-Redding
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TOM CURRY
SAM DUGDALE
JAMES HARPER
RALPH M c EACHRAN
HUW DAVIES
TOM ELLIS
ROSS HARRISON
SIMON MCINTYRE
DAN DU PREEZ
CAL FORD
JONNY HILL
EWAN MURPHY
JEAN-LUC DU PREEZ
ALEX GROVES
JOE JONES
YANDE NKONGE
TOM CURTIS
GEORGE FORD
BEN MOTAMED
ARRON REED
CONNOR DOHERTY
LUKE JAMES
TOM O’FLAHERTY
OSIAN ROBERTS
ROB DU PREEZ
SAM JAMES
AARON POPE
TOM ROEBUCK
CARWYN EDWARDS
REKEITI MA’ASI-WHITE
RAFFI QUIRKE
FINN ROGERS
