ALEX SANDERSON MEDIA SESSION 1/04/2026

IS WINNING A HABIT?

“Given the nature of how we have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory over the course of this season I would be inclined to agree. It can be a habit. The shift in focus to a different competition hopefully frees you up and gets the monkey off your back. If you are consistent with your approach at some point the results start to turn your way and it only takes one game to find form. We are very set in our intent that this is a game where we find form. We get to put ourselves on the map with it being an international competition in a season where we have gone off and under the radar for results reasons. All that is exciting; north vs south, last 16, knockout rugby. We are looking at this competition from an international perspective, not just a domestic one.”

ATTRACTION TO THE SIGNING OF CHRIST TSHIUNZA

“Initially it was his character on the back of his ability. The ability gets him to the table, character gets him the contract. He came in today [Wednesday 1^st April] for a medical. His biceps are massive, he has got some pipes on him! The one year [contract length] is as much for him as it is us. It is a long way from where he has been in Exeter and where he was brought up. We want him for a period of time, with him finding form, relocating, getting married this summer we both agreed on this that in the long term this has to be the right move on all accounts and I believe it will be. This just gives him and us the opportunity to make sure it is. It is a two-way option and I do not think it will last past December, we will be able to confirm by then, and I am sure if it goes as we want it to go he will stay here for a good while.”

INTEGRATING THE INFLUX OF PLENTY OF NEW PLAYERS NEXT SEASON

“I am excited by the prospect [of a new, different squad]. It is part of the job that I look forward to and get motivated by. You have got to pull them together. There are plenty of them [the new signings] who have vast amounts of international experience but who are not from the north west and we want to make them feel part of it. There will be a trip to Portugal potentially when the internationals come back ahead of next season.”

SALARY CAP

“It is the average of their salaries across the course of the season but it is in conjunction with everyone else’s averages as well. Everything we do, like every team is doing, is measured twice and it is passed under the salary cap advisor’s nose to make sure it is kosher because the regulations are so strict and rightly so. There is the ability to shift money around if you have money spare in the cap. We did not fill the space that Jonny Hill filled in the cap. We backed Tom Burrow, who is coming through, and Ben Bamber, who has been a bit of a star for us this season, and by doing that it means you can pay Jonny’s money into someone else who has already signed this year and decrease their salary for next, hence why we have been able to recruit as strong as we have, that is front loading. Back loading is where you sign them on for less and then give them more towards the end. Recruiting heavily has its effect on people who were already here. We have had to say goodbye who we like and love and have futures in the game but my remit is to win and be successful and be a lot more competitive in the next couple of years.”

INJURY LATEST

Arron Reed- struggling again, freak quad tear in a similar area to what he did in Scotland camp, just extra awareness with him that needs monitoring with his loading so it does not re-occur, happened Friday last week ahead of the Bath game, got scanned on Monday, narrowly misses out on this weekend

Tom Curry not available for Quins

Simon McIntyre and Asher Opoku-Fordjour back available

Rob du Preez- good as could have hoped for, an injury he is able to turn around from in a week, as low a grade as you could get, could be available for this weekend

OTHER NEWS

Richard Wigglesworth was up at the training ground last week to discuss the individual development programmes for the England players as well as informally the likes of Nathan Jibulu, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and Ben Bamber, the next stage is to look ahead to the summer

Every area came under the spotlight for discussion during review, high performance department was one of those, an outside assessor has come in in the form of Ben Pollard, who has worked with World Rugby who sets up high performance departments for Tier 2 nations, Al worked with him at Saracens, third time he has come into Sale, helped restructure the department two years ago, one area of focus was around return to play and return to perform protocol, we are getting them back on the field fine but it is keeping them on the field, club is going to advertise for a really skilled member of the S&C department who can look at individually load managing for the players

Keep the environment energised and fresh without making it feel forced

Coaching alignment may not have been quite right at the start of the season but that has been rectified, Byron McGuigan had a focus on England and his future because of the calibre of coach he is but with the toing and froing it has its effects, not that he was not coaching, but it affects cohesion, environment and preparation could have been better