Sharks head West in bid to change season
SALE have reacted to their disappointing start to the new season by bringing in Dorian West as forwards coach.
Sharks’ director of rugby Steve Diamond admitted after Saturday’s 31-13 home defeat to Wasps that the side needed to ‘improve everything’ as they slipped to their third loss from their opening four games.
It has left them bottom of the early Gallagher Premiership table, but Diamond is hoping the arrival of former England hooker West will give his side a boost.
“Dorian and I go back a long way and very rarely does a person with his qualities become available,” said Diamond.
“Dorian is a proven winner as a player and a coach and he’ll make a huge improvement looking after the club’s forwards.”
During his playing career, West played hooker for Leicester Tigers.
He was awarded 21 caps for England after his debut in 1998, and retired from the international scene after the 2003 World Cup final.
West started his career in coaching with England Under-21 before achieving domestic and European success with Northampton Saints alongside former Sale coach Jim Mallinder.
The Saints were promoted from the Championship in his first year at the club and he helped them win the European Challenge Cup in 2009 and the LV= Cup in 2010. Northampton also reached the Heineken Cup final the following year and in 2014 they won the Aviva Premiership and European Challenge Cup double. West, who left Franklins Gardens Steve Diamond, director of rugby at the end of last season, said: “I’m very pleased to be here at Sale and am looking forward to the new challenge ahead.
“I have known Dimes for many years and he has given me a great opportunity and I can’t wait to get started.”
Diamond admits Sale have plenty of work to do before they face West’s former club Leicester at Welford Road on Sunday.
“We were under pressure at the scrum against Wasps, but we had opportunities to score and couldn’t put it away again,” he said.
“We have a bit of work to do as we go to Welford Road. “Our inability to score costs us. “But we need to improve on everything in the game, from set-piece to our clinical finishing to when we don’t have the ball and our energy. All those things.”