Euro game takes back seat as Sale get up for the cup
SALE boss Steve Diamond will use the newly-created Premiership Rugby Cup, which starts this weekend, to rest a number of first-team players after a gruelling start to the season.
Saturday’s 34-13 win over Connacht in the European Challenge Cup consolidated the Sharks’ spot at the top of the Pool Three table, but with European rugby now taking a break until December and the Premiership not returning until next month, attention now turns to English domestic rugby’s new premier cup competition.
The Anglo-Welsh Cup, which the new tournament has replaced, was often a breeding ground for young talent to progress their careers. While it also helped clubs manage the workload of senior players, a trend which looks set to continue as Sale visit Worcester on Friday night.
“We’ll put ourselves on hold for the next two weeks, we need to do that,” said Sale’s director of rugby Diamond.
“Some of our senior lads have had eight games and we look after them. Faf de Klerk hasn’t stopped and Jono Ross has played eight hard games. They’ll get some rest and rehabilitation.”
The Premiership Rugby Cup sees the 12 Premiership sides split into three pools of four, with each playing four matches, three against the other teams in their pool and also a ‘Derby Day’ fixture.
The three pool winners and best runner-up will advance to the semifinals before the final is played at the home ground of the highest ranked team still left in the tournament.
To add extra spice, the winning club will receive £500,000.
Sale begin their campaign at Sixways against Worcester in the very first match of the new competition, before hosting Saracens at the AJ Bell a week later.
They are two games the Sharks director of rugby has said younger players will be given an opportunity to impress.
He said: “We’ve got 850 kids in the pathway and the best 15 of them will start next week with the addition of one or two of the senior lads to lead the direction.”
However, Diamond outlined that Sale’s third match against Leicester at Welford Road would be used as preparation for the return to Gallagher Premiership action against Saracens on November 17, which remains the priority. He added: “The third week of the competition we’ll go full strength because then we’ve got Saracens away in the league and we’ve never beaten them away since I have been here.
“Then we’ve got Northampton at home and Bath away and we’re still propping up the league, so we are not getting carried away.
“We’ve still got a job to do in the league and that is what we’ll be focusing on.”