Doubts very much that Springbok Vincent Koch will be coming to Sale, unfortunately the club can’t afford him, expects him to go for lots of money to a club overseas
Lots of quality players, both young and experienced, have flooded the market
Met with a number of players with varying degrees of interest
Only wants to bring players who want to be at the club for the long-term, but there are caveats to that- injury cover and waiting for young players to come through
No deals close, proven more difficult than first thought
Chatted with Burger Odendaal- looking for cover in the centres but injury dispensation isn’t enough to cover his money, out of price range
Still no agreement over Prem schedule after Christmas and New Year, potential plans to have league-wide two week break during Six Nations
Some clubs want cap to go back up, but fears that if we go back to old level same mistakes will be made like situations at Wasps and Worcester
TOM ROEBUCK’S CALL-UP TO THE ENGLAND SQUAD
“I’m delighted and I am aware of Scotland’s interest. Why wouldn’t they be interested? He has been in great form, he is a good lad and still has loads of potential to improve his game. Gregor Townsend (Scotland head coach) gave him a call and Eddie Jones was watching him as well. He was only born in Scotland, talking to him of course he was interested because to play at the highest level is what every player’s ambition is to see where they are at on the world stage. But he has very little affiliation with Scotland apart from place of birth. My understanding is he wants to play for England, hence why he is in the squad. I guess some of it would depend on how invested and how much worth he feels in the England environment with this taster he has of it and where he sees his future being in terms of his career ambitions. With him and Arron Reed playing so well at the start of this season surely Scotland are watching them because they are both Scottish qualified. When you start talking about it and the whispers start circulating, all of a sudden the phone goes. It’s like believe it and the universe will deliver it. There is always constant communication with one or a few of the coaches from different national teams so it is not unusual for you to be contacted about these young lads.
“His X-Factor and superpower is his ability to climb in the air. He is adding a quality of finish as well as his defensive abilities which have improved over this last year. This is a big lad; 6 foot 3 and all of 104kg. He was a lad perhaps in the past who hadn’t used his weight or his power to his best advantage. We are starting to see that now in terms of his carries and his defensive efforts over the course of the first 6 games. Not only can he climb but he is a guy who can win collisions both sides of the ball. His point of difference is his aerial ability but I think he is right up there amongst some of the best wingers in the Premiership now with his ability to win collisions.
PLANS FOR ROB DU PREEZ WHEN GEORGE FORD IS FIT
“George has to earn his right and his way into the squad. You would back George to be a pretty decent contender. Then it is about getting the best backline and the combination of backs on the field. That’s where we are now and where we will be in two months time is probably somewhere completely different. We will come to that hurdle when we come to it; I think Rob has the ability to play 10,12,13.”
DIFFICULTIES OF BRINGING PLAYERS IN SHORT-TERM
“There is only a certain amount of money you can give them according to injury dispensation and who if you have got anything about you wants to sign on a short-term contract in this climate. People want and need long-term security. It’s the salary cap. Most clubs including ourselves have plotted pretty much every penny and pound out to the 2024-25 season. Within that you have got players in your own squad you are looking to keep on and pay a little bit more as they develop. You might have earmarked other players for number one slots so you have set aside that money. So you only have a certain amount of money left in the pot which only injury dispensation allows for. If you end up spending over that we all know the consequences for that, me especially.”
TRAINING WITH ARGENTINA THIS WEEK
“They have a real high tempo, good urgency and energy in around what they have been doing. They are quite an open environment so we had a good chat with Felipe Contepomi and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe who was back in the building; he is one of our legends who played here for quite a while. So it was a good way to start the relationship and then we had a live unit session with scrums and mauls against them today. The lads were a little bit nervy because we have a game this weekend and they don’t, the Argentinians are battling for spots for the upcoming internationals and we are going against an international team in midweek could be potentially considered risky by way of injuries and what has happened in the past with certain situations. It was nothing of the sort; it was a session conducted with the utmost respect from both sides. There was no cheering and celebrating if one side got a decent outcome from a maul or a scrum. There was really good sharing as to what they felt and what we felt. An invaluable experience really. I only really have positive things to say about the Pumas, the coaches and how they conducted themselves.
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