In a follow-up to the article on how the Sale squad might look in the 2022-23 season, here is a look at some of the players the club could target in the positions of need; loosehead prop, tighthead prop, scrum-half, winger and fullback.
LOOSEHEAD PROP
Bevan Rodd is clearly the number one loosehead prop but behind him there is perhaps some uncertainty regarding the futures of Ross Harrison and Simon McIntyre. In terms of EQP’s (English Qualified Players), one of the leading targets should be Bath’s Beno Obano, who is believed to be out of contract at the end of this season. Obano would probably be an expensive option but potentially the best available. He is an England international and a good scrummager, which is something that would be valuable for the club considering the issues that Sale have had at times at scrum time. Combining Obano with Bevan Rodd would give the club two very strong options at loosehead. Other EQP options include Exeter Chiefs’ Alex Hepburn and Worcester’s Ethan Waller. Looking abroad to South Africa, the Bulls loosehead prop Lizo Gqoboka could be an option. The dream option at loosehead prop would be the South Africa and Stormers loosehead Steven Kitshoff, who was very close to joining the club a few years back.
TIGHTHEAD PROP
With Coenie Oosthuizen likely to leave at the end of the season, a new tighthead prop should be on the agenda. Oosthuizen’s potential departure would probably open up a decent amount of cap space. There are a lack of quality EQP options around the Premiership at this current moment. Sale could look at bringing Toulon’s Kieran Brookes back to the Premiership and back closer to his roots having been educated at Kirkham Grammar School. Brookes, at 31 years old with 16 England caps, would provide an experienced option to complement Nick Schonert and James Harper. With the RFU set to implement a minimum number of EQP’s in a matchday squad from 2024 and the incentive of having a high number of EQP’S and England internationals, the emphasis during recruitment will be on English players. Therefore, replacing Oosthuizen with a English player like Brookes or Exeter Chiefs’ Harry Williams would make a lot of sense. The Stormers and South Africa tighthead prop Frans Malherbe would be a good option from abroad.
SCRUM-HALF
With Faf de Klerk looking like he could be on his way to Japan at the end of the season, the club need to replace him to maintain the double punch at scrum-half alongside Raffi Quirke. Looking within the Premiership, there are a number of English scrum-halves that the club could be looking at. Bath’s Ben Spencer and Wasps’ Dan Robson are two of the more expensive options but they would be excellent additions and provide the club with two top options alongside Quirke. A few other options within the Premiership would include Exeter Chiefs’ Jack Maunder and Gloucester’s Joe Simpson. Wasps’ Francois Hougaard would be an intriguing option. Looking further afield, Sale could look at a reunion with the Bulls and South Africa scrum-half Embrose Papier, who was at the club on a short-term loan deal in 2019 when de Klerk was at the World Cup.
WINGER
With Denny Solomona departing mid-season, there is a need to add more pace and speed on the outside to complement Arron Reed and Tom Roebuck. One name heavily linked to the club in recent months is Exeter Chiefs’ Tom O’Flaherty who would be a very astute signing with plenty of Premiership experience, a good try-scoring record and heading into the prime years of his career. Other wingers Sale should be looking to pursue in the next few years include Newcastle Falcons’ Adam Radwan and the London Irish duo Ollie Hassell-Collins and Ben Loader, who Sale have been linked with in the past. These three wingers are ones Sale should be keeping a close eye on and would all be quality additions in the wide channels. Wasps’ Zach Kibirige could be another option, although he has been injury-prone in recent seasons.
FULLBACK
Simon Hammersley is a good solid Premiership option at 15 and is believed to be under contract next season, but his frailties at the top level have been exposed. One of the main targets over the next couple of years should be Saracens’ Max Malins, who Alex Sanderson will know very well from his time at Saracens. As well as being an international-calibre player, Malins also is an incredibly versatile player which in a reduced salary cap era is particularly valuable. An expensive option would be Bath’s Anthony Watson who is believed to be out of contract at the end of the season. Watson would be an excellent addition but the concern would be the number of injuries he has had in addition to the time he misses whilst on international duty. Watson’s club teammate Tom de Glanville would be a valuable long-term option in the 15 jersey. Looking abroad, the Sharks and South Africa fullback Aphelele Fassi would represent an excellent addition at 15.
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