First trophy, now for the play-offs
THIS SALE SQUAD CAN EMULATE OUR TITLE-WINNING SIDE
LAST week, 14 years since Sale last got their hands on some silverware, the lads finally ended our long wait with victory over Harlequins in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
Of course, the scenes for this final were vastly different from the one I was lucky enough to be involved in – winning the Premiership in front of a packed Twickenham crowd – but the efforts from our current Sharks were just as significant.
Despite going 10 points ahead in the first half, Quins replied to go 19-10 up, and just as it looked like our chances of lifting the trophy were slipping away, a spirited comeback saw us reduce the deficit to 19-17 with time running out.
Thankfully, Rob Du Preez converted a penalty to restore our lead, and a moment of magic from who else but Faf De Klerk sealed it for Sharks late on.
Looking at the quality of the squad, and our season so far, I think this team is certainly deserving of silverware and after everything that’s happened in 2020, it’s great to give our fans something to celebrate.
However, the hard work doesn’t stop yet, as we have everything to play for in the Gallagher Premiership with two games to go to ensure a place in the play-offs, and it’s going to be tight with Sharks sitting fourth but with Bristol Bears right behind us.
We face a big challenge tonight at Northampton where a win would be massive for our play-off ambitions – after that, we’ll head back to the AJ Bell to face Worcester in our final game of the regular season – but hopefully not our last match in this campaign.
Even with two games to go, Dimes will be urging the lads to take it one game at a time and remain fully focused on the task at hand at Franklin’s Gardens, as it’s always better to control your own destiny than have one eye on the table hoping other results go your way.
In June, the club shared its vision to be part of a newly-built stadium in Crossford Bridge, which would bring Sharks back to Sale to play in a new, state-of-the-art facility shared with many other community clubs.
Unfortunately, those plans have come to a halt as Trafford Council took the decision not to support the proposal following the public consultation.
It’s not the outcome we wanted, but we come out of the consultation having taken on lots of important feedback.
Our owners are still fully committed to growing the club and they’ll continue to explore options to improve the matchday experience at Sharks.
From silverware on the pitch to a series of strong commercial deals secured despite the pandemic, everyone is pulling together to take Sale to the next level, and that continues tonight where I know our Sharks Family will once again be cheering them on from home. At this stage of the season anything can happen, but as long as the lads are at the top of their game, we could be primed for play-off place.