Alex Sanderson has questioned whether Sale Sharks’ South African opponents this weekend have shown his side a lack of respect for suggesting that they rebrand themselves “Sale Tuna”.
Marco Masotti, the owner of Sharks — the Durban franchise who take on Sale in the group stage of the Champions Cup at the CorpAcq Stadium on Saturday — posted on social media that one of his new year wishes was that Sale should be called “Sale Tuna”, prompting a social media tit-for-tat between the clubs.
Sanderson, the Sale director of rugby, said the exchanges will be used in preparation for the match. “We’ve been theming it up like that, who is going to be the bigger, better, more aggressive Shark,” he said. “Minus three conditions at the CorpAcq Stadium, they’re flying in from 25 degrees in Durban. It is going to have to be a quick acclimatisation for them. The CorpAcq at night in midwinter helps us against anyone. It’s not a nice place to come and we want to keep it that way.”
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Masotti has frequently suggested that Sale should consider rebranding and this week he posted on social media: “I hope the Sale fans show up to see the real @SharksRugby. Good luck to the Sale Tuna.”
“We’ll lean into that,” Sanderson said. “Do they respect us as an organisation? Questionable, certainly not from the top. I will have that in the back pocket, those lads who are on social media might want bragging rights. You’ve got to find something every week that pushes the buttons. There’s enough there for us this week.”
Sanderson’s side, who are seventh in the Gallagher Prem table, know that a bonus-point victory at home will be enough to ensure their progress to the knockout stage of the Champions Cup. Saturday’s opponents have not often played their strongest line-up in away matches in this competition, losing 56-19 in their opening fixture this season in Toulouse, having travelled without the likes of Siya Kolisi, André Esterhuizen and Grant Williams, before beating Saracens at home a week later.
But Sanderson said his team must be prepared to face the strongest available Sharks team, who have won only two of their first eight matches in the United Rugby Championship. “We’re planning for the best, you have to,” he said. “They haven’t had a good run of results and they’ll want to get some pride back in their jersey.”
Sanderson says his team will “lean into” the jibe and that it will “push their buttons”
DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES
Either way, the stage will be set for a battle of the Sharks in freezing temperatures this weekend. “Michelle [Orange, Sale’s co-owner] said, tongue in cheek, maybe we should rebrand as Manchester Megalodons,” Sanderson said. “Funnily enough, my mum’s coming to watch on Saturday and she’s not well. Three years ago she gave me a fossilised megalodon tooth, so I could remind myself, when she’s not around to nag me, of the kind of shark I want to be.
“Be the biggest shark, be the angriest shark, be the most aggressive shark, day to day. I’m probably going to talk about that to the lads. I want to show her that I can be this person, this coach that she wants me to be. There’s always personal reasons for you to be motivated.”
Raffi Quirke, the Sale scrum half who injured his knee during the defeat by Bristol Bears last Friday, will miss the match on Saturday, but is expected to return in the Prem game at home to Northampton Saints on January 24.