Surging Sharks want to hold on to du Preez
ON-LOAN PLAYER IS KEY IN 27-10 ROUT OF BEARS
STEVE Diamond is confident Sale Sharks will be able to retain the services of Rob du Preez after the South African fly-half kicked his side to a crucial victory over Bristol Bears.
Du Preez booted 17 points, including five penalties and one conversion, to secure a 27-10 triumph over the visitors at the AJ Bell Stadium, with Denny Solomona and Will Cliff also scoring tries.
The 25-year-old signed for Sale on a three-month loan deal from South African side the Sharks earlier this season as cover for AJ MacGinty, who has been out of action with a shoulder injury since October.
But after his match-winning performance against the Bears helped Sale leapfrog their opponents in the Premiership standings, Diamond revealed the club are doing everything they can to keep hold of their Springbok talisman.
“Negotiations are going well and we will probably be making around 10 to 12 announcements in the new year of people who have signed and people who have re-signed, and Rob will hopefully be one of them,” said the director of rugby.
“He’s confident and he’s good. It was wet conditions, so it wasn’t brilliant ball in hand across the field, but we managed to control the play.” Sale went into the game in 11th, two points behind Bristol in the table, and they went behind early on when Ireland international Ian Madigan kicked a penalty for the visitors. But Bristol were reduced to 14 men after George Smith was sinbinned for a dangerous tackle and the Sharks took advantage with du Preez levelling the scores from the tee. Solomona then touched down following Sam James’ brilliant break to put the hosts ahead and they never looked back, with du Preez nailing a further two penalties to give Sale a 14-3 lead at half-time. Du Preez added another two penalties after the restart and converted Cliff’s try in the corner in the final minute to secure victory, with Bears grabbing a consolation score through Steven Luatua. After watching his side claim their fourth league win of the campaign, Diamond was full of praise for his players and the way the managed to dictate the game. “We managed, through our defence, to stop them playing,” he added. “Every time they tried to get it out to their big lads on the wing, we were up in their faces and they couldn’t get it there. Their number ten had to turn back in and he must have carried eight or nine times in the first half and that was our intention; not to be able to get the pass away. I thought Tom Curry, Jean-Luc du Preez, Jono Ross and the front row looked after that area really well.”
Every time they tried to get it out to their big lads on the wing, we were up in their faces Steve Diamond