Ewan Ashman
Losing Ewan Ashman is a big blow. He is certainly a player Alex Sanderson would have been looking to build around for a number of years to come but the lure of the SRU and personal ties to the city of Edinburgh ended up proving too much. Perhaps the club should have foreseen this coming as Sanderson did admit that the SRU had been looking to bring Ashman to Scotland for a few years. The club were under no obligation to allow Ashman to leave considering he was under contract for another few years. But perhaps the decision was taken by Sanderson et al that it didn’t make sense to keep someone who would rather be someone else. The SRU are thought to have paid a six figure fee to buy Ashman out of his contract, an offer which the club maybe reluctantly decided was an offer that could be accepted. What will frustrate Sanderson is how late in the season Ashman told the club he was going to leave at the end of the season. This may make it more challenging to replace Ashman, which Sanderson has said the club are looking to do. A number of players who the club might have looked may have already decided their futures. However, it does look likely that we are going to sign Luke Cowan-Dickie from Exeter, which would be an incredible signing. Some are suggesting that the club should have kept Curtis Langdon instead of Ashman a year ago, but I believe that the club made the right decision. Ashman has a higher ceiling than Langdon. That is not saying Langdon isn’t a good player, but Ashman has more potential and is already a Scotland international in his early 20’s. But the club probably should have been more proactive in pre-empting this.
Coenie Oosthuizen
Although he has been solid in his four years at the club, it is fair to say he probably hasn’t quite lived up to the level that was expected when he signed. When he signed in 2019, he came in as a 30-cap Springbok aged 30 who could play both sides of the scrum, an incredibly valuable commodity especially when you consider the current level of the salary cap. The impact expected upon Oosthuizen’s arrival was similar to that which Vincent Koch had when he joined Saracens. Looking back with hindsight, Sale probably got him just slightly past his peak. You would imagine that his departure will open up a significant amount of cap space considering he arrived at Sale with 30 Springbok caps in the bank. Going off Alex Sanderson’s comments, Oosthuizen was a leader in the dressing room so his leadership will be missed. His form late on in the season was good, but it feels like the right time for both parties to move on. Oosthuizen, who is now 34, returns home to South Africa and we are able to open up some cap space. It will be interesting to see whether a tighthead prop is brought in to replace Oosthuizen. If the answer to that question is no, it would put a lot of pressure on Nick Schonert to stay fit. James Harper is a super talent that hopefully will follow the same trajectory of Bevan Rodd on the other side of the scrum, but he has had a few serious injuries over the last couple of years. As it stands, Joe Jones would be third choice and that feels a position too high in the depth chart.
OTHER DEPARTURES
Kieran Wilkinson- a player with a huge amount of potential. He broke onto the scene at a very young age and impressed especially in the Challenge Cup whilst being a teenager. A few serious injuries at just the wrong time have been costly for him. The unfortunate reality for Wilkinson is despite his talent, the strength in depth ahead of him at fly-half meant that in a reduced salary cap era he is the man to lose out. With George Ford, Rob du Preez and Tom Curtis ahead of him in the pecking order, his game-time is very limited and he is probably going to be looking for more minutes. He is set to join Leicester.
Dom Barrow- a low-risk, high-reward signing that unfortunately didn’t work out. He was brought out of retirement at the start of 2022 but has not managed to get to the level he needed to be a Premiership performer. Even though he would have been on a small amount of money it makes sense to move him on when he isn’t good enough to open up a bit of cap space.
Ryan Mills- good, mid-season pick-up from Wasps with injuries to Connor Doherty and Luke James and Manu Tuilagi being with England. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been signed if Doherty hadn’t been injured but has done a very solid job. If Tuilagi hadn’t re-signed it would have been likely that Mills would have been given a new contract.
Sam Hill- It didn't quite work out for Sam Hill at Sale. He was never able to replicate his form in an Exeter shirt. We all know he is a good player from his Exeter days but we didn't see that player on a consistent basis for Sale. It is difficult to put your finger on why exactly he didn't perform at the same level in a Sale shirt as he did at Exeter. To be fair to him, his game-time was limited for a lot of his Sale career with Manu Tuilagi and Rohan Janse van Rensburg ahead of him in the pecking order. One would imagine his departure could open up a decent amount of cap space considering when he joined from Exeter he was a regular and consistent starter aged 26.
Jason Woodward- another low-risk, high-reward signing. A quality player when fit but that has been the issue; staying fit. He had numerous fitness issues at Gloucester and he has had injury issues this season with us. Only played a couple of times but it was worth the risk as it was likely he was a cheap signing. The form of Joe Carpenter has also meant he hasn’t really been needed which should been seen as a positive as Carpenter is a super talent.
Matt Postlethwaite- always given his best in a Sale shirt, but it feels like time to move on. He is no longer a young player, he is 26 now. Feels like he needs to take a step down into the Championship where he would a good addition for a Championship side. Not quite good enough to be a regular in the Premiership and seemingly never really trusted.
Elliot Gourlay- sad to see him leave. He has been playing well on loan at Caldy over the last couple of seasons and played in the Prem Rugby Cup for Sale. Done a solid job in the Prem Rugby Cup but hasn’t necessarily excelled in the same way other youngsters have done previously. With the competition for places on the wing and at fullback, not a massive surprise that he is moving on.
Ben Carlile- brought over from Yorkshire academy a few years ago with good pedigree, but he hasn’t quite kicked on in the way we would have hoped. He will probably find a club in the Championship in order to get regular game-time.
RETIREMENTS
Will Cliff
Will Cliff ends his playing career at the end of the season after over 200 appearances in a Sale shirt across two spells since he made his debut in 2007. Despite not being the most talented scrum-half the club has ever had, he has made the most of his ability and been a good Premiership scrum-half for a long period of time. In recent years, his role on the field has been limited due to the presence of the likes of Faf de Klerk, Raffi Quirke and Gus Warr. What the club will miss is his presence in the dressing room as an experienced player who is Sale through and through.
Byron McGuigan
Byron McGuigan arrived from Exeter in 2016 as a solid utility back. But during his time at Sale he became not only a quality Premiership winger but also an international with Scotland. For a number of years McGuigan was a mainstay and regular in the Sale side. Over the last 18 months McGuigan has gradually been phased out due to the emergence of Tom Roebuck and Arron Reed and the arrival of Tom O’Flaherty last summer. Although his playing career is coming to an end, he is remaining at the club in a coaching role, which is a great move to keep long-serving players at the club.
Jono Ross
Jono Ross retires after six great seasons at the club having joined from Stade Francais in 2017. For a number of seasons Ross was a consistent performer for the club and probably for a period of time one of the best back rows in the Premiership. It was a surprise that he wasn’t selected by England, considering his an EQP despite being born in South Africa. He also played a key role in the signing of Faf de Klerk. Steve Diamond said Ross suggested the club sign de Klerk in 2017. It is likely that he played a significant part in the signing of other South Africans. He was one of the first high-profile names to come in at the start of the Simon Orange-Ged Mason era. He is perhaps not quite the same player he was a few years back, when he was one of the first names on the teamsheet and an essential part of the side. His departure will have likely opened up a significant amount of cap space. Although he is still club captain, he has been replaced as captain on gameday on a regular basis by Ben Curry, a sign of the changing of the guard. Over the last 18 months, in the same way as Byron McGuigan, his role in the squad has lessened due to the presence of the Curry twins and the du Preez twins. His ill-discipline has been an issue and his form is not what it was, although in the last few months as he approaches retirement he has probably been in his best form in a few years. In his final few months in a Sale shirt and in his rugby career he has played his best rugby in a couple of years. With the strength in depth in the back-row and young talents like England Under-20 Tristan Woodman emerging there is not necessarily a need to directly replace him and instead that money can be used in other areas. Ross will certainly go down as a club legend and will be sorely missed by everyone at the club.
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