Diamond rallies troops with half-time roasting
FAF DE KLERK revealed a half-time roasting from Steve Diamond inspired Sale to victory over Harlequins in the Premiership Rugby Cup final.
The Sharks beat Paul Gustard’s men 27-19 at the AJ Bell Stadium to lift their first trophy since becoming crowned Premiership champions in 2006.
Yet they needed the introduction of South Africa World Cup-winning scrumhalf De Klerk and England centre Manu Tuilagi to turn the game in their favour.
Curtis Langdon’s try was converted and a penalty from Rob du Preez put Sale 10-0 up before Quins hit back through James Chisholm’s try plus a conversion and three penalties from Marcus Smith.
But Sale were not to be denied as Dan du Preez scored in the final quarter before compatriot De Klerk scampered over late on to confirm the long-awaited success.
Asked about the half-time rollicking from Diamond, De Klerk said: “It was good to see the passion! He said he wanted us to stay calm but I think we needed a bit of that and it was good to see the boys react.
“It was a real tough game and for us to pull away at the end showed a lot of character from the boys.
“I think the bench made a good impact and sometimes you need a bit of ‘old school’ to get you going.”
De Klerk replaced Will Cliff in the 50th minute and quickly made his presence felt as he beavered away from behind Sale’s pack.
The 28-year-old, who played for South Africa in last year’s World Cup final win over England, added: “Some guys perform better under pressure and others don’t. You’ll see it in a lot of players throughout their careers. It’s just nice to be leant on when it needs to go your way.
“It comes with experience. We have a lot of young players in the side and for them to win a final is great.
“Hopefully they can win a few more bigger competitions going forward.”
It was 2006 when a starstudded Sharks side so gloriously toppled Leicester in the Premiership final at Twickenham and not much has gone right since; not so much as a top-four finish.
But now attention will turn to sealing a play-off spot after Sale won Monday's final, a match rearranged from March when the UK went into lockdown.
Diamond said: “It’s important to win a trophy with the pathway we’re on and the money that Ged Mason and Simon Orange have invested.
“It’s important to get something back for everybody – the supporters, the owners and the players.
“We always take this competition seriously and have got our just desserts tonight.
“I’m proud of the lads and it was a really gritty performance, which will stand us in good stead for our remaining two Premiership games. We’ve got to win them both to make the top four.”
Diamond said Ben Curry was forced off with an ankle problem, the same injury which forced hooker Akker van der Merwe to miss the game.
For Quins, and captain Chris Robshaw in particular, there was only bitter disappointment.
Robshaw will leave the club after 16 seasons at the end of the current campaign and had hoped to bow out with a winner’s medal in his pocket.
But it was not to be and head of rugby Gustard said: “We’re disappointed, of course, that we have not won for Chris, and Chris has not won for himself.
“Two or three decisions went against us, but it’s a young, developing squad and we have to learn from these experiences.”
Quins led 19-10 before allowing Sale back into the game and Gustard admitted: “Faf made a big difference when he came on – his kicking was more accurate, with more depth. It is tough to take.”