On December 8th 2020 all Sale Sharks fans were shocked by the news that long-serving Director of Rugby Steve Diamond had left the club only three games into the new Gallagher Premiership season. The time had come for Sale to go in a new direction and bring in a fresh face to start a new era at the club after Diamond’s long stint in charge. Just over a month passed when on 15th January 2021 the club announced that after 17 years away local man Alex Sanderson was returning to the North West as the new DOR. In his first five months back at the club Sanderson led Sale to the quarter-finals of the European Champions Cup and a semi-final spot in the Gallagher Premiership following a 3rd place finish in the regular season. It is clear that in such a short space of time already the impact that Alex Sanderson has had at Sale and why the future is so exciting for everyone associated with the club.
It is important to not forget the role that Steve Diamond has played in laying the foundations which Alex Sanderson has taken on. Steve Diamond has done so much for northern rugby in particular in the North West, continuously embracing the academy and constantly giving young players the opportunity within the Sale first team. He was the one who built the squad that Sanderson has taken on. It did feel though at the end of Diamond’s tenure that perhaps he had taken this squad as far as he could as well as personal reasons leading to his departure, and this is where Sanderson comes in. Sanderson arrived at Sale after 13 incredibly successful years at Saracens in numerous roles such as the Forwards, Defence and Assistant Coach. Saracens won three European Cups and five Premiership titles during his time there. Therefore, he brought with him a winning mentality coming from a successful culture and environment. Winning breeds winning. There are certain performances in games and results during Sanderson’s tenure so far that it is unlikely that they would have been seen under Diamond. There is no better example of this than the 57-14 thrashing of the Scarlets away from home in the last 16 of the Champions Cup. It was a game that Sale could have won under Diamond, however the emphatic and clinical nature of the performance and the result is an example of the development under Sanderson. Beating league leaders Bristol at home towards the end of the regular season in a game of test-match intensity is yet another example of the impact of Sanderson at Sale.
Being a Sale man through and through Sanderson brings that mixture of Northern grit that he often refers to and love for the club like Steve Diamond but also a very likeable and personable character. For all the good things that Diamond did for the club, from time to time he would rub people up the wrong way which didn’t always reflect well on the club. In contrast to Diamond’s ‘spiky’ character, Sanderson is well liked by the media as well as the wider public which helps to improve the image and reputation of the club. Sanderson is an incredibly engaging and captivating person to listen to, and instantaneously every Sale supported and love him from the moment he took over as DOR. His character is so infectious that players and fans alike want to follow him into battle. Sanderson has continued to bring the youth through like Diamond championed with players like Bevan Rodd, James Harper, Ewan Ashman and Raffi Quirke all developing extremely well and are all exceptional talents. Having come through the Sale system himself and having played for six seasons for the Sale first team he knows what it is like breaking into the first team which inevitably helps him to relate with the younger players.
One of the newest aspects that Sanderson has brought to Sale is the emphasis on the psychological and mental side of the game. He often refers to this part of the game being an ‘untapped resource’ and in the space of just five months he has already introduced new concepts to the squad. In Sanderson’s eyes, most Premiership sides are on a similar level technically but one area where you can gain an advantage is mentally. The use of clinical psychologists and cognitive behavioural techniques highlight Sanderson’s emphasis on the mental side of the game as well as the arrival of Craig White as a consultant. White, who has previously worked with the Lions, Wales, Wasps and Leicester, has formed a significant part in Sanderson’s efforts to provide support off the field for the Sale squad. It is clear to see the impact of these measures in a number of the tight games that Sale have won. An ‘inner belief’ has been instilled into this Sale squad resulting in closing out games that previously might have been lost. Winning away at Wasps despite 4 yellow cards in the second half, winning both home and away against Bristol, beating Bath away from home despite 3 second half yellows are all examples of winning under pressure. That type of mentality is built by working on psychological side of the game, building up an inner strength to deal with pressure moments like having players sent to the sin-bin. Working with psychologists on the mental side of the game allows the players to deal with moments of pressure and cope with those pressure points.
What was very interesting was listening to an interview that fly-half AJ MacGinty did with BT Sport a few months back. When asked about the differences between the Steve Diamond era and Alex Sanderson’s time so far, he referred to a ‘family togetherness’ that Sanderson has instilled, suggesting that was not completely the case under Diamond. From the outside looking in it did seem that Diamond did create a good culture and environment as world-class players like Faf de Klerk and Lood de Jager wouldn’t be so happy at the club if the atmosphere was not good. What perhaps MacGinty is saying is that Sanderson, being such a people’s person, has brought the squad even closer.
In such a short space of time, Alex Sanderson has undoubtedly had a huge impact on Sale and has taken the club on to another level. Many of the foundations were laid down by Steve Diamond and a huge amount of credit should go his way. However, Sanderson’s winning mentality, focus on psychological aspects and likeable character have very quickly pushed Sale on from when he took over from Diamond. The future is very exciting for everyone associated with Sale both on and off the pitch, and Sanderson is going to be right at the heart of it.
Comments