Another intriguing media session with Sale Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson on Tuesday 22nd March. Sanderson spoke on a wide range of topics including Manu’s return from injury, the diagnosis of the injuries to Tom Curry and AJ MacGinty, what the future holds for Faf de Klerk and Lood de Jager and the imminent return of a number of long-term injuries. Here are the talking points from the media session:
MANU’S BACK
Good news for the club this week as England centre Manu Tuilagi is set to return to action for Sale this weekend away at Bath. “To have him come back is brilliant on and off the field,” Sanderson said this week. “He is the glue off the field, forever positive. He has talked at the start of this week about how we can challenge each other at the business end of the season about how we can get more out of ourselves. That’s what he does, people grow around him, everyone grows a few inches gets that bit tighter as a squad. Very happy and very lucky to have him back involved. I will never complain about waxing-lyrical about the man that Manu Tuilagi is. He deserves all the praise he gets from me.” Sanderson did admit that perhaps in hindsight Tuilagi was rushed back into England duty a little too soon and that more conversations will be held with England going forward to keep Manu fit.
INJURIES TO TOM CURRY AND AJ MACGINTY
A double blow for the club with Tom Curry and AJ MacGinty both ruled out for roughly 5-6 weeks. Curry suffered a Grade 2 Hamstring Tear during England’s Six Nations defeat to Ireland. Sanderson is hopeful that Curry should be back for the European Champions Cup quarter-finals if the club gets past Bristol Bears in the last 16. In regard AJ MacGinty, the knee injury he suffered in the win over Gloucester could have been a lot worse. The fear was that MacGinty had suffered a serious ACL injury that would have ruled him out for 6 months but the surgeon said that it is pretty much as good as the club could have hoped for. The hope is that MacGinty should return in time for the final 3 Premiership games and the European quarter-finals if Sale get there.
FUTURES OF LOOD AND FAF
No official lines from Sanderson or the club as of yet, but he admitted that he is having to tow the media line on this. Until the official media statement has been put out there will be nothing new said. However, reading between the lines, it is perhaps safe to assume that it is quite likely that both Faf de Klerk and Lood de Jager will leave in the summer. If either were set to stay, Sanderson would presumably declare openly and publicly that they were remaining at the club.
IMMINENT RETURNS
The club is about to welcome back a number of players who have been injured for a long period of time. Hooker Akker van der Merwe and tighthead prop duo James Harper and Nick Schonert should all be involved in full-intensity training next week so if they come through that then they should all be available for the Saracens game a week on Friday. However, not so good news on Josh Beaumont, who has had another setback on his knee. He has seen another specialist as to the way forward from here and the club will know more in 10 days.
STADIUM UPDATE
Although nothing has been officially confirmed, the rumours are strong that the club will be able to buy the stadium but Sanderson admitted that the club are having to deal with some difficult parties including the council and Peel holdings. Sanderson would love the stadium to be the club’s own and that it is very important for so many reasons that the club owns their own stadium in order to be a sustainable business.
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