AJ excited by Sharks’ attack
RETURNING SALE STAR SAYS IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK AFTER INJURY
AJ MacGinty is delighted to be back with Sale Sharks and is looking forward to an exciting climax to the season.
The Irish-born American international fly-half made an excellent comeback against the Worceser Warriors after more than two months out with a torn medial collateral ligament last weekend.
MacGinty contributed 13 points with the boot and, in tandem with scrum-half Faf de Klerk, helped shape the Sharks’ game-management in a dazzling 58-25 win.
The bonus-point victory lifted the club up to seventh place in the Premiership table and with four games of the season to go – starting with a crucial home clash against Wasps on April 6 – there is everything still to play for.
MacGinty believes the hightempo attacking display that produced eight tries against the Warriors can act as the ideal template for the remainder of the campaign.
“It was good to be back out there,” he told the Sale Sharks website.
“We had had two weeks’ excellent preparation for the Worcester game so we were really confident in terms of our preparation, but you have to go out there and deliver it on the Saturday and I felt we definitely did that.
“The forwards worked their socks off and the backs were just electric with the ball in hand with some nice tries and really good handling, so we were really happy with how it went.
“For me it was just brilliant to be out there again as when the injury initially happened in our game against Harlequins in early January I didn’t think I would play again this season, so I have to be thankful to the medical staff here for the work they have done with me.
“It’s going to be a massive finish to the season. We’re sitting in a pretty decent spot and we’ve got two big home games left starting with Wasps, so the focus will be on each individual match but we’re confident we can deliver both for the fans and for ourselves.”
Ahead of his return from injury, MacGinty, who joined Sale from Connacht in the summer of 2016, underlined his commitment to the club by signing a new four-year contract with the Sharks.
The 28-year-old is one of several key players to have signed new long-term deals with the Sharks over the past month and says he is hugely excited about the club’s prospects going forward. He said: “I think there is a great group of lads here. I enjoy coming in each day and working and playing alongside them so that was a massive thing for me.”