Sharks can be top-four force again
STEVE Diamond believes Ben Curry is just as good as his World Cup hero twin Tom – and has hinted that Eddie Jones should think the same too!
The duo both impressed as Sale Sharks hit home their Gallagher Premiership top-four credentials with a 48-10 hammering of Harlequins at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Diamond’s troops were in dominant form, establishing a 24-10 half-time lead following tries from Akker Van Der Merwe and the James brothers, Sam and Luke.
The second period began as a much calmer affair, with Rob Du Preez’s penalty the only points in the third quarter, but Sale finished with a flourish as Rob Webber, Chris Ashton and Rohan Janse Van Rensburg all touched down to secure a bonus-point win.
Harlequins had taken an early lead through Gabriel Ibitoye’s converted try but their only addition to the scoreboard after that was a Marcus Smith three-pointer before the interval, and they went point-less in the second half.
It was a display which highlighted Sale’s play-off credentials with a complete demolition of one of their supposed top-four rivals.
“I’m happy with the result,” said director of rugby Diamond.
“We did well in the first half, weathered a storm in the first seven or eight minutes in the second half and took that penalty which put us two scores ahead and that seemed to take away any anxiety, and then we opened up as best we could.
“If you run hard and create momentum, you can run away with it and we managed to do that.
“What we’ve got is big lads. The Du Preez lads are all enormous and the Currys, if you take one off, the next one comes on and there’s no difference in our book – I know Eddie Jones thinks differently.
“We’ve got two fantastic players there and then the skill Luke and Sam (James) show week in week out is just outstanding.”
And Diamond, whose men now turn their attention to Friday night’s trip to La Rochelle in the Heineken Cup, felt the win was more impressive considering they were without their injured World
Cup winner Faf de Klerk.
“I thought they have responded well to being without Faf,” he said.
“He is the heartbeat of the team. Will Cliff came in at scrum-half, he box kicked really well, he cleared really well and didn’t hang around at the rucks.
“All round, I am pleased. It shoves us up into the top four, which is where we want to be.
“It is probably the first time this season we haven’t taken our foot off the gas for the whole game.”
FIVE Sale Sharks players have been named in the England Under-20 elite player squad for the 2020 campaign.
Backs Joe Carpenter, Tom Curtis, Connor Doherty, Raphael Quirke and Tom Roebuck are all included in the 32-man party.
Their first test comes next month with the start of the Under-20s Six Nations against France in Grenoble.
The squad will also take part in this summer’s World Under-20 Championship in Italy.
Head coach Alan Dickens said: “Players have been selected through a combination of their performances last year and displays in domestic and European competitions this season.
“It’s been encouraging to see a number of the group playing Premiership, Champions Cup and Challenge Cup rugby and I believe we’ve selected a really strong 32 for our elite player squad.