Prem club fires warning to rivals after pre-season with coaches who have ‘taken demotions’ and the arrival of a new ‘power athlete’
Alex Sanderson, Sale Sharks' director of rugby
Alex Sanderson is buzzing ahead of the new Premiership season in England after shaking up his assistant coach line-up and signing some new players who have impressed him during the pre-season at Sale.
The Manchester club were eliminated in last season’s semi-finals at Leicester, but Sanderson believes the Sharks can do much better next term as they look to win a first Premiership title since being crowned champions in 2005/06.
Sanderson has brought in head coaches Marco Bortolami from Benetton and Joe Ford from Doncaster to fuel the Sale title bid, while amongst the new player signings are Jacques Vermeulen, the South African with a big reputation from his time in the Exeter back-row, and Nathan Jibulu, the young hooker from Harlequins.
Asked about his recruitment of Bortolami and Ford, Sanderson told his club’s Uncaged YouTube documentary series: “The two new coaches have had to drive very respectable organisations in the past.
“More than just specialist coaches…”
“From my position, understanding how you bring a group together, what motivates, what drives a group every week for 11 months of the year, it’s bringing that kind of experience with the more in-depth knowledge of specific areas, breakdown and set-piece with Marco and the attack with Joey.
“So, they are more than just specialist coaches, these guys. They have taken demotions to be able to be part of the organisation, and so I guess their aspirations go beyond just their roles right now. They want to develop themselves and with that desire to get better, to improve, you kind of take people with you.”
Their arrival has led to a change in the way Sanderson runs his management team. “There is increased communication – the doing away of perceived barriers of hierarchy and authority was something we set out to do from the first meeting.
“With these guys coming in, I didn’t want the coaches who had been here for a few years to assume any position of authority and I didn’t want those guys coming in and wanting or feeling the need to take too much of the reins.
“What I wanted is to communicate as a coaching group, as peers, so we are able to challenge and push and support each other vicariously, by association.”
It has left Sanderson predicting a bright season at Sale. “You’re going to see a dynamic pack in the past where we might have been physical and set-piece dominant, you’ll get all those but dynamic is a better word than just power.
“We’re going to have a dangerous backline, you could see that through the summer tours, the back three we have got all international players and Marius (Louw) coming in and Rekeiti (Ma’asi-White), the form he has been in, and George Ford.
“So dynamic pack with a dangerous backline. I am sure you are going to see an improvement in our rugby smarts. We’re not developing into a one-dimensional team but a team that can win in many different ways, so smart, dynamic and dangerous.”
Looking at Sale’s signing of Vermeulen, Sanderson added: “He comes with a lot of pedigree and experience. Good history with the du Preezes, so it’s not like he is coming in with no mates, and he is some character.
“If he doesn’t agree with something, he’ll tell you, but his consistency of application with even the small technical things which we are working a lot on at the moment is exemplary. Like, he does everything right.
“Even something to do with lineout lifts, it’s as if we’re prepping for a semi-final, final. His intensity to get that little detail right is evident. It sets a really good example for the lads who might have been there for a while and don’t want to bother with some of the smaller details and think it is in there.”
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Switching to Jibulu, the Sharks director of rugby added: “He’s some athlete, a power athlete. The quicker we can get him settled and feel like this is his new home, we will see more out of him, but I have been massively impressed with his openness and his understanding. His self-awareness as a 22-year-old, he’s probably one of the most mature 22-year-olds I have met.”
Speaking about his role, new assistant Bortolomi said: “We have very good coaches, very experienced and the team is in a good place already, but it was just trying to find a methodology where we can become a more adaptable team, that can find solutions on the run during games, and we want to get better the way we do things.”
Fellow assistant Ford added: “I have been impressed with the work ethic and intensity of everyone. You can tell why they have been a success the last few years, making semi-finals and finals.
“It’s just a given here, and the togetherness of the squad, there is a lot of consistency in their recruitment and who is still here. A big family feel which goes a long way on the pitch… But the difference in what we will be going after is at the line, the execution of that.”
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