Reed backs Sale to win silverware
WINGER Arron Reed believes there are no limits to what this Sale Sharks side can do this season as they prepare to face Connacht in the European Challenge Cup today.
Sharks impressively beat Saracens last weekend, courtesy of a 14-point haul from Robert du Preez and tries from Sam James and Denny Solomona.
Now with the Currys, Josh Beaumont and Jono Ross committing their longterm future to the club, Reed can see the team going from strength to strength.
“I don’t think there is a limit,” said Reed. “We can definitely get to the top four. Saracens was a massive statement.
“As you can see over the past few games, we beat Gloucester away and then onto Saracens, they’re one of the top contenders in the league and we’ve turned them over on our ground.”
Sale now sit fifth in the Premiership table, and Reed expects the Sharks to keep the momentum going.
“As a team it was our best performance of the season because Saracens have had a good run of games.
“We’re just going to push on and see how it goes from here.”
Having beat Saracens, Sale continue their European campaign against Connacht at Galway Sportsground and go into the match top of Group Three.
“I actually think we’ve got a massive chance to win the [Challenge] Cup,” Reed said. “I’m confident we can do it and it’ll be a good bit of silverware to get.”
“We beat Saracens because we all worked hard together, so we’ve got to keep that up. We’ve got to keep that same mindset.”
Du Preez, along with his brother JeanLuc, depart Sale after making an impact at the club, but Reed is confident that Sharks have the depth to fill the holes that they leave behind.
He said: “They were both very good, and they’re going to be missed for the rest of the season, but we’ve got other people who can step in and do a job.
“I definitely think Kieran [Wilkinson] is a good player. He’s ready to have a run of games after doing well for [Sale] FC and the [Sale] Jets, and in the past European games he’s done well too, so I think it’s his time to step up.”
Beaumont and Byron McGuigan miss today’s game through injury, while Wilkinson makes his fourth European Challenge Cup start this season at flyhalf.
Andrei Ostrikov returns on the bench after suspension and Cameron Redpath is included.