Sale Sharks v Leicester Tigers | Matchday Programme

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THE GALLAGHER WAY. SINCE 1927.

ALEX SANDERSON

DIRECTOR OF RUGBY

A WORD FROM THE AXE

We’ve got an absolute Christmas cracker of a fixture for you tonight, and I know our lads want to put the disappointment of the last couple of games behind them and wrap up 2022 with a win and a top performance in front of you all.

I need to also welcome back a real Sale Sharks fans’ favourite in the form of my opposite number tonight, Richard Wigglesworth. Wiggy has a really sharp, practical rugby brain and in our time together at Sarries he was a real sponge in terms of taking on information. He’s been a coach in the making for a long time and I’m sure he’ll have his team well prepared for the game tonight.

Wiggy and I spoke last week and I know he’s ready to face an angry Sale side after the disappointment of the Newcastle game before Christmas. After the game I put it on the players to give us a reponse. We always chat on the field after the game and so often this season it’s been me

congratulating them and thanking them. This was a bit different but I think it’s important to be honest win or lose.

I was really encouraged with what I got back from the leaders in the squad. People like Ben Curry and Jono Ross stood up and talked about the lads reflecting on what they’d all done and whether there was anything they could have done differently. That ability to reflect inwardly is a big shift for this group and I was really pleased with the way they owned it.

I asked them for a positive response when they came back after Christmas and that’s what we’ve had this week. I’ve been so impressed with their maturity and their ability to respond in the right way. We’ve touched on that every day this week.

I have no doubt fatigue played its part after a really tight turnaround but I’m not making excuses. I still

WELCOME BACK TO A PACKED-OUT AJ BELL STADIUM FOR OUR FINAL GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP GAME OF 2022. CAN I START BY WISHING YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM EVERYONE HERE AT SALE SHARKS.

think we had the ability and the running left in our legs to close the game out.

So now attention turns to Leicester Tigers and the final game of 2022 and what a game it is. There’s no better occasion than to play the champions on our own turf, in front of a big crowd. I’ve got relatives and friends I haven’t spoken to in years who have come out of the woodwork for this one so it’s costing me a fortune! It should be a fantastic match for rugby fans but hopefully for Sale fans too.

We come into this game in second place and I was asked this week whether we’re ahead of where we wanted or expected to be at this stage. The end of the year is a good time to take a step back sometimes and look at the bigger picture and with that in mind I’d say we’re satisfied with where we are. We feel we’ve worked hard and earned our standing in the league but we know

there’s so much growth and learning still to do for this team.

What I do know is that we wouldn’t be where we are this year without the impact of Joe Simpson, who plays the final game of his career tonight. Joe’s been here six months but it feels like he’s been here six years such is the impact he’s had. In his time here I’ve been lucky enough to get to know Joe and his family and it’s fitting for him to finish his career on a high like this.

I know our lads want to make sure he goes out with a win.

Enjoy the game, Al

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JONNY HILLLOCK

JONNY ON THE SPOT

After six years and more than 100 games as an Exeter Chief, making the move north was never going to be straightforward for Jonny Hill. But after spending six months as a Shark, the England and British and Irish Lions lock has made Manchester his home and now he’s ready to kick on in the second half of the season.

It’s been great so far,” he said. “It has been a bit broken up by going away with England for the Autumn Internationals but coming back here after that was brilliant and it was great for everyone to get that big victory against Ulster.

“There was an element of risk in moving clubs but it was something I was craving. I wanted to challenge myself and try something new and I’m so glad I did. I’ve loved being in a different environment, making new relationships with a group of lads and coaches who I didn’t know.

“There are similarities in the club environments in terms of lots of the ways we prepare for games every week, but the big difference is hearing different voices and opinions, and working out how the players around you want to play, and what their strengths are. The

STILL LIVING

BOYS’ HOUSE

ALTRINCHAM

first couple of months have been all about making it feel familiar but now I feel like I’ve settled in and it feels like home, so it’s all about working hard and improving on the pitch.

“I’m still living in the Curry boys’ house in Altrincham but at least they’ve fixed the boiler now. It’s a great place to live and I’m feeling really settled.

I’M

IN THE CURRY

IN

BUT AT LEAST THEY’VE FIXED THE BOILER NOW. IT’S A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND I’M FEELING REALLY SETTLED.

“Our form has dipped very slightly in the last few weeks but we’re all working really hard to get back on track to make sure we’re where we want to be come the business end of the season.”

Your Sharks sit second in the Gallagher Premiership table going into the second half of the season with seven wins in the first ten league games. But Jonny says there’s still plenty to come from both him and the team.

“I’d give us an 8/10 for the start of the season,” he said. “But I’d give myself a 6/10 because I feel like I have a lot more to offer.

I am quite hard on myself and I always want to hit my best levels consistently. I don’t feel like I’ve done that yet.

“The month away with England was challenging but I think as a group we’ll be better for it. I had a week off after that to switch off and get away from rugby so I came back into Sale feeling rejuvenated and ready to go.

“We’d have taken second place at the halfway stage but we know there’s so much more to come. We need to focus week to week on continuous improvement and if we do that, we’ll finish where we want to be.”

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FROM THE SHARK TANK

OUR WEEKLY GUEST SPOT FROM THE PODCASTING SUPERFANS OVER AT THE SHARK TANK, THE NORTHERN POWERHOUSE OF RUGBY PODCASTING, WITH A DETAILED, IRREVERENT AND OCCASSIONALLY CYNICAL LOOK AT ALL THINGS SALE SHARKS.

A very merry 6th day of Christmas from inside the Shark Tank! We hope you’ve had a restful and enjoyable Christmastime whatever it brought, not least giving us all here a chance to forget about the events of the 23rd of December which we would rather not mention if we could avoid it. Instead it’s a positive look forward to welcoming a Leicester side who did us a huge favour with a victory over Gloucester before Christmas for what should be a fascinating game in front of a great crowd.

A long journey up to the NorthEast for a chilly Friday night game against a Newcastle side with a point to prove was always going to be a tough ask, not least coming off a short, five-day turnaround from a bruising encounter in the South of France. (And that’s just for the fans who did both away trips, let alone the players!)

They were two disappointing results in a row granted, but neither were disastrous in the context of the season. The Toulouse game was always likely to have that outcome, and while the score line flattered the Frenchmen a little, we certainly think there were enough positives in the performance to give

encouragement ahead of their visit to the AJ Bell in January.

The Newcastle game then started well enough, a 14-0 lead at halftime away from home surely good enough in anyone’s books. But then perhaps that continental fatigue caught up with us in the second half as we succumbed 20-0 in the half. Escaping Kingston Park with a losing bonus point was certainly not

preferable, but with all the caveats above, coming away with that was better than nothing.

We then all dived into turkey and stuffing and hopefully some Shark-themed presents under the tree, bringing us to a festive clash at home against Leicester. Last season saw us shock a lot of people with a wonderful victory over what were then the league’s form side, and we’ll hope to see that again. This is a different Leicester proposition to last year, but one who have an admirable man at the helm who we know all too well in Wiggy. We wish him the best of luck from the 31st of December onwards, knowing he will no doubt do great things with this side and in his onward coaching career.

Finally, it would be remiss not to mention the absolutely baffling and, in our opinion, just plain wrong decision of the RFU and the Allianz Premier 15s to exclude our Women’s team from a guaranteed place in the competition next year. You can hear our full thoughts on the Toulouse podcast, or read them on our Twitter, but safe to say we are equally incredulous as we are angry, as well as being gutted for the team. We hope they continue this season’s rise in form and results to prove just how wrong that decision was. And we hope that as we go into 2023 and beyond, this club continues to fly the flag for rugby for all in the North West, as it has been doing so well for so long.

Come on you Sharks!

Alex, James and Lewis

TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST, CLICK HERE:

NEXT UP AT THE CORPACQ STADIUM

Sale Sharks Women are back in action in the New Year against Exeter Chiefs! Make sure you’re there on Saturday 8th January.

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T A L

T O

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E N T F O R T O D A Y ,

M O R R O W & T H E F U T U R E

WELCOME

YOUR SHARKS

FORWARDS

GEORGE ARNOLD

ROUBAN BIRCH

BEN BAMBER

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AS CAPABLE ON -ROAD AS OFF IT

Official Fuel Consumption Figures for the Defender 110 in mpg (I/100km): Combined 113.0-18.7 (2.5-15.1). CO2 Emissions For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. CO2, fuel economy, energy consumption and range figures Off-road sequences on dedicated land with full permissions.

Emissions 57-340 g/km. The figures provided are as a result of official manufacturer’s tests in accordance with EU legislation. may vary according to factors such as driving styles, environmental conditions, load, wheel fitment and accessories fitted.