Deacon urges Sale to just focus on Toulon
SALE players have to put a tumultuous week behind them and concentrate on making a winning start to their Heineken Champions Cup campaign today.
After long-term boss Steve Diamond left the club on Tuesday, the Sharks travel to Toulon in their Group A opener.
Sale struggled in the competition last season, finishing bottom of their pool with just one win.
And interim head coach Paul Deacon says he and the players have to put this week’s events behind them and concentrate on the job in hand.
He said: “These things happen for whatever reason. I feel very fortunate now to be in this position where the owners said you take charge of the team for the foreseeable future.
“They say a week is a long time in sport. It was a funny start to the week but as sport happens there is a game at the end of every week and we’re just focusing on that, then see how the dust settles.”
Deacon is also not worried about all the attention he and his team will get in his first game in charge and is looking forward to the opportunity to let the rugby do the talking.
He told M.E.N. Sport: “I’m the type of feller that doesn’t really care if the spotlight’s on us or not, I’m a process driven coach, we’ll go out there and try to play the best game we can and if people are watching then so be it, I hope they are watching.
“I hope we put on a good show for our supporters and we’ll give Toulon a great game and, hopefully, come away with the win.”
The Sharks have made just three changes to the 23-man squad which beat London Irish last weekend.
Sam Hill has been included for the first time this campaign and has been thrown into the starting 15 at inside centre, perhaps an early sign of Deacon making some changes to personnel.
While a dangerous combination of Marland Yarde, Simon Hammersley and Luke James make up Sharks’ back three.
Bevan Rodd comes into the Sale pack as the loosehead prop but, otherwise, the pack stays the same as it was against London Irish.
Will Cliff starts at scrum-half alongside American AJ MacGinty at fly-half.