Bok prop Coenie Oosthuizen heading back to Shark Tank after 4-year stint in England
Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen has signed a deal to return to Durban to play for the Sharks.
Alex Sanderson Sport News
Saracens emerge from ignominy to reclaim their place at the summit
T he rehabilitation is complete. Saracens, for so long the champion club of England, even for a good while of Europe, reclaim their familiar crown. Expelled from the Premiership in disgrace three years ago, found guilty of breaches of the salary cap, they returned to the final in their first season back, but the last step to triumph proved one too far on that occasion. Here they rode multiple disruptions to take it in some style.
Ford-Farrell duel likely to play key role in Sale’s final against Saracens
G eorge Ford will never forget the first time he played against Owen Farrell. As a young lad playing junior rugby league for Saddleworth Rangers against Wigan St Patricks it did not take him or his teammates long to spot the looming threat. “We were all just stood there and you could see this lad towering over everyone. We were like: ‘He’s not playing, is he? He’s miles older than everyone.’ But it turned out he did play and he killed us. He scored a handful of tries in the first half and got told to temper it down in the second.”
Sale’s Alex Sanderson: ‘People have given up a lot to make this special’
M ost people will tell you that winning is everything in a major final. There is scant room for background nuance on the scoreboard or in the record books. Occasionally, though, there is a rare exception and this year’s Premiership final is arguably one of them. “What we’ve built matters,” stresses Alex Sanderson, leaning against the outside wall of Sale Sharks’ training centre this week. “Plenty of people have given up a lot to make this special, important and lasting. That’s the key.”
Sir Alex Ferguson gives talk ‘gold’ to Sale players before Premiership final
Sale have been tapping into the big-match experience of Sir Alex Ferguson in the leadup to the Premiership final against Saracens at Twickenham on Saturday. The former Manchester United manager was invited to address the Sharks squad on Tuesday and gave the players tips on how to deal with the pressure of the occasion.
Sale dreaming of Premiership glory and northern rugby union revival
T here was one sentence uttered on Sunday that best summed up the challenge Sale Sharks face. It did not come from the director of rugby, Alex Sanderson, or man-of-the-match George Ford, rather from the taxi driver on the way to the AJ Bell Stadium. He had not heard of it and needed the postcode to get there. “Are you sure you don’t mean the Etihad?”
George Ford helps Sale end Leicester’s Premiership defence to reach final
They don’t mind telling you that northern rugby matters at Sale but there can be no more compelling evidence than this. For Sale Sharks edged a thunderous encounter, the kind of clash of which the titans would be proud, to take their place in their first Premiership final since 2006. It was a performance of blood and thunder, equally so from Leicester, but ultimately the Sharks had George Ford in their ranks this season and the Tigers did not.
Stormers lose Van Rhyn to Sale Sharks: 'Forged from South African steel'
Ernst van Rhyn will leave the Stormers to join English club Sale Sharks ahead of the 2023/24 season.