Diamond delivers on top-four promise and seeks Sale recognition

‘Whingeing’ director of rugby has shrewdly transformed the Sharks into play-off contenders

The steady rise of Sale Sharks is one of myriad sub-plots scattering this crazy Gallagher Premiership campaign. Steve Diamond’s side sit second at the halfway point, ahead of a stern assignment in Gloucester tonight. He sounds pleased and reasonably proud, but not surprised.

“I’ve always been known as a whingeing, mothering, argumentative, abrasive bloke,” said Sale’s director of rugby. “When you spend £3.5million on your team and others are spending £8.5million and you finish sixth every other year, you get fed up with not getting any recognition as a club.”

Prior to Simon Orange taking over the club in the summer of 2016, and Ged Mason arriving as a chief stakeholder, Diamond told the pair that Sale would be a top-four team as soon as they began to approach the salary cap.

That promise is being vindicated. And there is more to come. Lood de Jager, the Rugby World Cup-winning lock and a flagship Sharks signing, returned to full training this week. Faf de Klerk should also be available for London Irish’s visit to Salford next Friday.

“This is the first year we have gone anywhere near the salary cap,” Diamond said. “The skill of it is nicking what Saracens and Exeter have done well. There is no point being one-hit wonders, getting up there for one year and getting a final or a semi. You’ve got to do it for five years, I reckon. That’s where our mindset and our investment is.”

Another arm of Diamond’s shrewd long-term strategy came to light this week as Cameron Redpath’s immediate move to Bath was confirmed. Sale received a six-figure transfer fee because the versatile 20-year-old back, who trained with England as recently as a fortnight ago, had three years remaining on a five-year contract.

In 2016, Diamond began offering long-term deals – some for as long as seven years – to graduates from Sale’s prolific academy, with incremental wage hikes based on game time. “Sometimes, the player isn’t going to be worth the amount that the contract would automatically go to,” explained Diamond. “You have to weather that storm and say: ‘We’ve done the deal, we’re going to pay him that.’”

Ben and Tom Curry, Luke and Sam James, Mike Haley, Will Addison and Josh Beaumont are all cited by Diamond as examples of firstteam regulars, past and present, to navigate this process. “If you have a glut of players [on long-term contracts], you are in a fortunate position,” Diamond said. “If you wanted to, you could offer those players around. But we have never done that, to this day. We don’t need to. We’re building something – and we could operate with another 10 players within our salary cap if we wanted to, if I’m being honest.”

Redpath, an outstanding agegroup international, has been unfortunate with injuries – he was picked to tour South Africa with England in 2018 before discovering he needed a knee reconstruction – and may have grown impatient with a dearth of senior action for Sale.

That said, Diamond’s squad are on course to claim Sale’s first playoff appearance since their title-winning season of 2006. Diamond has assembled a blend of imports, mostly from South Africa, and local talent. The three Du Preez brothers, fly-half Rob and mobile forwards Dan and Jean-luc, look particularly canny additions.

“I’m excited with where it’s going,” Diamond said. “Gloucester will be difficult. They’ve lost two or three games but are a top side on their own paddock, like we are. We’ve got to put another couple of results together. We’ve beaten Exeter away, we’ve beaten London Irish away. We need a couple of good results away from home as well as at home to be considered a top side, I think.”

History says that second place, earning a home semi-final, is extremely helpful. Diamond is up for the challenge of navigating the log-jam. “I’ve put a relegation line under the fourth position,” he said. “If we can win three or four of the next six or seven, then I’m going to put the relegation line at two and try to keep the impetus there.”