Sharks geared up for tough test on restart
IT’S under two weeks now until we hope we can finally get going again in the Gallagher Premiership, and everything at the club right now is geared towards making sure we’re ready for the trip to Quins on August 14.
Any away fixture is tough at this level but having one for our first game of the restart presents an extra challenge.
It’s an old cliché, but every game will be like a cup final as we contend for the top spot with Exeter, who we face at the AJ Bell Stadium in our second game back.
Good results against those two could see us push on in a big way, but we can only take it one game at a time, and the preparation going on at Carrington have been meticulous.
The lads are facing three rounds of midweek fixtures, which is a massive ask of any athlete as they’ll be pushing themselves physically and mentally.
To counteract this, they’ve been undergoing lots of strength and conditioning training, and the number of minutes an individual can play will be capped across the league.
But we’re leaving nothing to chance and have even been speak
Good results could see us push on in a big way. Preparation has been meticulous
Mark Cueto
ing with experts from Manchester City, Preston North End and Stockport County on dealing with quick turnarounds and increased demand for the players. Making our own stadium Covid-secure is also extremely important as we adhere to guidelines to protect everyone in the AJ Bell. It will of course be a very different matchday playing behind closed doors, but we’re working on creating as much of an atmosphere as possible the Sharks family, who will be following from home. Our women’s team, who debut in the top-level Tyrrell’s Premier 15s league this coming season, have also signed England 7s star Jodie Ounsley.
She joins with a wealth of experience having played for Sandal RUFC, Loughborough College, Yorkshire County and in the Premier 15s with Loughborough Lightning.
At 19, she’s already represented England in the World Rugby 7s and will prove an exciting player for the squad as they prepare for their maiden season as a newly formed elite side.
Off the pitch, we’ve been working closely with our commercial partners, and it’s been fantastic to see them pull together during this unusual time by adapting to support local communities with free food, transport and even ventilators for the NHS.
Many are still going the extra mile for their colleagues in the industry, which is why our performance analyst Hugh Jenner is joining Acronis, our official cyber protection partner, and Manchester-based partner Levitex for a talk this week on why sleep and recovery can help you gain the edge in both rugby and business.
The long wait to see Sale back in action is hopefully nearly over, but I think seeing them return and hopefully clinch the right result will be a memorable occasion for the whole Sharks family.