SALE SHARKS

LAST SEASON: 8th. COACH: Steve Diamond

KEY INS: Chris Ashton (Toulon), Rohan Janse Van Rensburg (Lions, SA), Cameron Redpath (academy).

KEY OUTS: Will Addison (Ulster), Halani Aulika (Grenoble), Mike Haley (Munster), TJ Ioane (London Irish). STAR MAN: Chris Ashton. Banned for the first block of games after his tip-tackle in pre-season, you would not put it past him still scoring tries in double figures this year. BOSS’S BOLTER — Steve Diamond: ‘Twins Tom and Ben Curry, 21. They are the modern-day Neil Back — just a bit bigger. What I’m excited about is when they get to maturation in 2021 because I think we’ll have two world-class players on our hands.’ FAN VERDICT — Heather Akehurst: ‘We’ll be looking for a top-four finish and to take our chances in the play-offs. But do we have the strength in depth to do it?’ SPORTSMAIL’S VERDICT: 5th. Sale have a proper pack and tasty backline but need to make sure discipline does not hamper their progress.