Diamond: Survival comes first
SALE Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond admits his first focus is on Gallagher Premiership Rugby survival before he begins thinking about challenging at the top of the table.
The Sharks were in the mix for European Champions Cup qualification until the final day of the 2017/18 campaign, eventually finishing in eighth after losing to Leicester Tigers.
Despite a deflating climax, it was considered a promising season after Sale’s disappointing 10th place finish the year before, with their commitment to attacking rugby providing many highlights.
And while Diamond is cautious about looking beyond survival in the cut-throat Premiership landscape, he believes the building blocks are in place for the club to continue to progress.
“We’re looking forward to our early challenges against Harlequins and Worcester,” he said. “We feel we’ve got a good opportunity, we built some building blocks last year and I think we can improve on that this year.
“The league itself is getting even more competitive and I don’t know how many more years we can keep on saying that because the way of attrition in the league is high and the injuries are high.
“Your first job is for survival really and for us it’s to get to 30 points. If you can do it before Christmas then you know you’ve got a good season on your hand, if you don’t you’re in the mire with the rest.
“Exeter and Saracens are out there above everybody else and the other ten are all similar.”