Sanderson hails ‘outstanding’ Rodd after dominant Sale win over Ospreys

It was the kind of individual brilliance which the great Dan Carter might have managed in his all-conquering prime. But Sale Sharks’ loosehead prop Bevan Rodd?

When Rodd, who will link up with the England squad in Brighton for a five-day training camp on Monday as they begin preparations for the Six Nations, collected a pass from Ben Curry inside his own half in the 28th minute, a standard carry into contact beckoned.

Instead, the 21-year-old displayed remarkable pace to charge over the halfway line, past a clutch of leaden-footed Ospreys defenders, before finding Arron Reed with a brilliant long pass. Reed raced down the left flank to score but Rodd’s role in the winger’s try was unmistakeable.

“Bevan’s got it all hasn’t he? It’s that kind of play which sets him apart from the other looseheads – it was outstanding,” said Sale’s director of rugby Alex Sanderson of a player who made his England bow in the autumn.

The two other Sale players in Jones’ 36-man Six Nations squad – the scrum-half Raffi Quirke and the openside flanker Tom Curry – also made notable contributions, the latter off the bench after replacing the captain Jono Ross in the 50th minute.

Significantly, Sanderson suggested that the Red Rose forward, a player considered indispensable to Jones, could feature in Sale’s Premiership home clash against leaders Leicester on Sunday –just six days before England’s Six Nations opener at Murrayfield.

Sanderson said: “Tom enjoyed himself today but he’s got a bit more of a shift to put in next week. There is a chance he might be staying back to get some more game-time. That’s between him and Eddie, but I don’t want to give anything away to Leicester. He hasn’t played a lot in the last couple of weeks. If it does happen,