Beaumont not giving up on England dream
JOSH Beaumont’s only England opportunities have come against the Barbarians, but the Sale lock still believes he has a future with the national team.
The 27-year-old scored a try in his only appearance for his country, a 73-12 rout of the Baabaas in May 2015.
He was called up for the Six Nations the following year, but injury saw him ruled out of both that tournament and the summer tour to Australia.
But Beaumont, son of former England skipper Bill, still hasn’t given up hope of adding to his solitary cap.
“That’s always an ambition of mine,” said the former Sharks skipper. “I feel still young enough, still in my prime.
“But first and foremost I have to play well for Sale. There is a lot of competition here this season and I haven’t started the season off as well as I want.”
Sale have been busy over the summer strengthening their squad as they try to match the likes of Saracens and Exeter in the Gallagher Premiership and prepare for a Heineken Cup campaign.
Bringing in players – such as Anker Van Der Merwe, Robert Du Preez and scrum-half Embrose Papier on a three-month loan – have created a lot more competition for places, something Beaumont welcomes, even if it does make it harder for players to keep their place in the side.
“If we’re honest, over the past two to three years here we haven’t had that squad depth and you’re playing a lot of rugby,” he told M.E.N. Sport.
“I think when you play too much rugby and not necessarily in the best form, I don’t think it drives your performance as much as if there is competition.
“I’m happy for there to be competition here and as long as we can all come together to support each other as a big, wider squad. Then, hopefully, moving forward we are going to get more positive results.”
Josh Beaumont on adding to his one England cap
Beaumont is hopeful the greater squad depth can help the Sharks progress to the next level as they look to secure a place in the Premiership play-offs.
“Each squad in the Premiership at some point is going to have injuries, it’s about how well you can deal with those and fill those voids with similar quality and I think we’ve got that now,” he said.
With Sale back in the Heineken Cup for the first time since the 2016/17 season, there is an excitement around the club as they look to open their account next month against Glasgow.
“We start with a tough game at Glasgow, who are strong at home, when we come to that week it will be a different feel,” said Beaumont. “It’s the biggest club competition in the world and it’s a great competition to be involved with.
“It’s just exciting as players playing on the big stage with TV games in front of big crowds, we’re massively excited to be back in that.”
While a successful European Cup campaign would be a bonus, the Sharks’ main priority and focus this season lies in the Premiership.
“I know it’s cliché but we’ll focus on each game, if we perform to our capabilities we will get to that top four definitely,” said Beaumont.
“But it’s a hard competition, we’ll just take each week as it comes. You get to the knockout competition at the end and it’s just different then, we’ve never been a part of it so I wouldn’t know!”