Quirke a ‘De Klerk in making’ with the talent to reach game’s summit

Sale

Alex Sanderson has heralded Raffi Quirke as “a Faf de Klerk in the making”, suggesting that the 20-year-old Sale scrum-half is ready to be fasttracked into the England set-up.

Quirke’s perfectly timed offload, following a scampering snipe into the Bath 22, headlined a lively individual outing and unleashed teammate Byron Mcguigan for Sale’s second try at the AJ Bell Stadium.

It was a score that put last season’s Premiership semi-finalists 17-0 ahead four minutes prior to halftime. However, Quirke promptly hobbled from the field and Bath battled back to take a nervy first-round fixture to the wire.

Indeed, Sale were indebted to a 79th-minute penalty from another academy graduate, Kieran Wilkinson, 21, as they squeezed home.

“My heart rate was horrendous,” Sanderson, Sale’s director of rugby, said. “I am sure [my players] do it on purpose. We were a point down with five to go and found a way to win. That is their superpower. They don’t give up.”

Akker van der Merwe, the Sale hooker, had been the beneficiary of a muscular line-out drive, propelled by Manu Tuilagi and Marland Yarde, for a try in the 30th minute, before Quirke sent Mcguigan over.

A close-range try from replacement prop Juan Schoeman, and four penalties shared between debutant Danny Cipriani – another early withdrawal – and Orlando Bailey, hauled Bath 19-17 in front in the second half.

Wilkinson’s kick restored a slender advantage for Sale, but even then the visitors were presented with an opportunity to win it when Cameron Neild was penalised for failing to roll away from a tackle.

Bailey, a star of England Under20s’ Six Nations Grand Slam triumph in the summer, could not quite convert the kick from about 50 metres out.

Sanderson has shown steadfast trust in youth since arriving at Sale at the start of the year. With a quartet of Springboks, including De Klerk, involved in South Africa’s Rugby Championship campaign until mid-october, he will need to maintain that faith.

Quirke, whose injury is not believed to be too serious, will be a major part of Sanderson’s plans – and, possibly, those of England.

“Raffi’s on fire,” Sanderson said. “He’s only young and if he’s going to get fast-tracked, it just depends how fast he gets fast-tracked. He looks like he’s ready. Some nines see the gaps, such as [Australia great] George Gregan. Raffi’s got the ability to see them and go through them. He’s a Faf de Klerk in the making.”