Alex Sanderson’s Sale Sharks have been condemned by a former England international for their “absolute absence of ambition” in last Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup elimination in Ireland.
The PREM Rugby strugglers qualified for the quarter-finals with a dour round of 16 win over Harlequins, another club at the wrong end of the English table.
However, they failed to build on that victory and despite only trailing 7-3 at half-time at the Aviva Stadium, they were blown away in the second half by a six-try Leinster onslaught. The 30-point, 43-13 deficit at the final whistle certainly didn’t amuse the watching Stuart Barnes.
Penning a column in The Times following the match, he pulled no punches and claimed they won’t build their following from “middling four-figure attendances to the 10,001 Gallagher PREM ambition” if they continue to play their unattractive way they are.
“Kicking the leather off the ball…”
When Sale previously visited Dublin for a Champions Cup pool match in December 2023, they took great pride from a performance where they led 13-3 at the interval and were still fighting at the finish in a 37-27 defeat. What they produced, though, on their Irish return 28 months later left much to be desired.
While admitting Sale can still be powerful, referencing an early scrum penalty, George Ford’s fist-pumping celebration of a penalty won in defence just before the break and a ball-winning breakdown counter ruck in the 52nd minute, he bemoaned their generally unloved style of play and lack of ambition.
“In the past few years, Sale have mixed plenty of power with the odd touch of panache and been among England’s leading clubs. But they have struggled to get anywhere near filling their stadium,” he said early in his piece before getting stuck into what unfolded in Dublin.
“The team are not winning many matches and they are not gathering the much-desired Generation Z of supporters. Why the hell would they when Alex Sanderson’s side play the most predictable, one-dimensional rugby seen since England at the 2023 World Cup?
“Ford, a player of subtle variation, has seemingly succumbed to a game plan based on the belief that the only way Sale can win is by kicking the leather off the ball. An old phrase, and an old tactic too.”
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Barnes did acknowledge that the Sharks were without several injured players, but he wasn’t letting fellow No.10 Ford off the hook. “When Ford threw a pass to no one, it was no surprise. Someone forgot to switch his pass mode on. With the game long lost, he was kicking possession away rather than looking for something special to mask the mundane nature of the Sale performance,” he added.
Scrum-half Gus Warr also came in for scathing criticism. “While the utterly predictable Warr booted everything away, his opposite number, Jamison Gibson-Park, kept Sale guessing. One moment a box-kick, the next a sharp, angled break down the blind side.
“Sale were pulled wide, Max Deegan cut an angle, the defence was shredded, the try scored. Variety isn’t just the clichéd spice of life; it’s a way to win a game of rugby. One side were pathetically predictable, the other varied.”
Barnes’ conclusion, which highlighted how Northampton had played excellent attacking rugby in their narrow loss at Bath the previous evening, was also damning regarding the Sanderson approach.
“Sale seemed set upon dragging Leinster down to their level, whereas Northampton’s glorious offence forced Bath into a supreme effort of will — and no little skill — to an immense effort and epic game.
“I know Sale have injuries, but it doesn’t excuse the absolute absence of ambition. The professional age demands excellence and excitement. An old-fashioned display of guts may impress the last generation of fans. It won’t grab the next one.
“Saturday afternoon wasn’t just a question of how Sale could win but a matter of the way they played. Any potential North West newcomers tuning into the match wouldn’t have thought, ‘I must go to Sale’s next home game.’
“They delivered something inexcusably old and obvious. No newcomers will bother with this turgid offering from the past.”