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'We could be accused of emulating other clubs and we do pinch other people's ideas... plagiarism is part of the deal'

Sale boss Steve Diamond. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

South African rugby can breathe easy again as Sale boss Steve Diamond has revealed his raid on the country’s rugby talent is complete after Tuesday’s latest business took the Gallagher Premiership club right up to the £7m salary cap.

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Having stayed 30 per cent below that salary cap figure for this season’s campaign, Diamond has now signed brothers Robert, Jean-Luc and Daniel du Preez, Akker van der Merwe and Coenie Oosthuizen from the Durban-based Sharks along with Springbok second row Lood de Jager. They join resident South Africans Jono Ross, Faf de Klerk and Rohan Janse van Rensburg at the club.

Besides creating two packs of Premiership class forwards based on South African muscle and a back line featuring England wings Chris Ashton and Denny Solomona, Diamond is now targeted the club’s small fan base.

Having beefed up his playing squad, he is aiming to take the average attendance from a disappointing 5,000 to 9,000 next season and quadruple the number of season ticket holders to make the club financially viable in a city dominated by two Premier League football clubs.

Diamond admits to plagiarising Saracens, the London club who used South African talent to get their title-winning run off the ground in 2011. However, he believes that with Sale being the only Premiership rugby club in the north of England, it is time to build a brand despite the domination of football in the region.

“It is now time to put the recruiting pen down,” he said. “The investors Simon Orange and Ged Mason have said that over a three-year period we would get an opportunity to spend to full salary cap and in the eight years I have been here we have never done that.

“This season we are 25-30 per cent behind the Newcastles and Worcesters, never mind the big spending clubs. It was always in the business plan to go to the salary cap next season and in doing so we looked at the quality of player we would require.

“We wanted people who were aged between 23-27, which most of them are with the exception of Coenie, and to have proven track records. They also need the character to live in Manchester and try and help make Sale a sporting force in the city.

“The new boys will come around to the way we play which is an abrasive style. The size of these players brings real ballast to the team. We could be accused of emulating other clubs and we do pinch other people’s ideas. Plagiarism is part of the deal.

“We will need to get the players integrated and deal with a difficult pre-season with the international players coming back later after the World Cup. That means it will be a freak year but by Christmas time we will hopefully have everyone settled in.

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“We can never emulate the icons of football in Manchester and the local area and we need to understand where our core support is. We need to get the crowds in because that is the only way we can sustain it.

“Leeds have gone into administration while Newcastle are in the Championship, which means there is only us flying the flag for rugby union in the north of England.”

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J
JW 44 minutes ago
'He wants players to be able to play four positions': Former All Black critiques Robertson's strategy

Sorta “rent a comment” kinda guy really.

Haha yep another great way to say it.


Look I actually agree with the guy, he might have heard something said and seeing as he loves to make a spotlight, and be in it, he decided/mistakenly came up with this headline grabber?


Despite what I already said was the actual idea for the topic he mistook, I think, at this particular moment, there are plenty of situations people should be sticking. I’m OK with the Dmac situation if its just until Stevenson and Etene start sharing the Fullback job. I’m OK with Barrett being left at 15 and Perofeta being given the job to displace Plummer (easy task for him imo) as the first five (with the ABs in mind). But pretty much all the others, like your suggestions, they are far off optimal understanding of their core positions so should be trying to specialize for a couple of years. Think Ioane and Proctor, one or the other, not trying to get both on. Barrett or ALB/Higgins/Lam, Sititi and Sotutu at 8, Finau/Haig/all the 6’s injured or gone etc.


From Razors perspective, of a coach on the limit of what can be achieved, he wants to a balance of core and niche. Having players able to cover situations when your down a man, through card or because he’s lying on the ground, you want your players to be adaptable. Does this mean he’d like them to learn that adaptable by playing other positions fully, like for a whole game in another position, or just as in terms of their skills sets. Because if you apply what I suggested Razor was referring to as “four” positions, wingers can be very useful in other roles like a carrying 12, or a pilferring 7, let alone benefit from a tight relationship and understand of what a 13 is trying to do for them.


This concept applies to pretty much every single position. Take your(my) Lock example, theyre now lifters, they can (size and shape allowing) ruck and maul like the front row, run like a back and offload like a basketballer. Many recent young locks of of this rangy razzle dazle variety.


Personally I really like and think that adding versatility is inevitable with the amount of training and really early highperformance skill/athleticism work they get through. Max Hicks looked interesting as a 2m beanpole playing openside in France, PSDT showing the frame is certainly viable (as apposed to the typical 6 playing lock), opensides really need a running/carry side to their play these days and could easily play in midfield. Halfbacks are starting to play standing up straight rather than low to the ground, how cool would it have been if the Hurricanes had decided to retain Preston by switching Roigard to 10 for this season? Like Leroy Carter they’re already good wingers with the right pace. I do really see the back three players staying were they are for the most part though, unless theyre special players like Dmac.

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