Nearly eight months ago, Sale Sharks’ hopes and dreams of challenging for their first Premiership title since 2006 fizzled out in heartbreaking fashion.
Going into the final weekend of the season, the North West side looked on course to reach the top four but a Covid outbreak within the squad resulted in them missing their chance to lift the big prize once again.
However, that misfortune is now long forgotten. Alex Sanderson has guided the club to the verge of the play-offs and surely nothing can stop the Sharks this time around.
Their recent gutsy performances have turned Sale’s season into one of hope and expectation rather than a campaign defined by their own ill-discipline and those never-say-die displays highlight the fact Sanderson knows what it takes to win.
On his arrival back at the AJ Bell Stadium - where he was a player for six years - column inches focused on his success at Saracens but would leading the Sharks to Premiership glory be right up there with his greatest achievements as a coach?
BREAKING: Sale Sharks have appointed Alex Sanderson as their new Director of Rugby and he will join the club's coaching team with immediate effect. https://t.co/qotHobVp2spic.twitter.com/YplkMxzY7z
Considering the way Sale’s path towards the play-offs took a slight detour following the departure of Steve Diamond, there is a good argument to say winning the title would be near the top of Sanderson’s list of honours.
Before his announcement as the club’s new Director of Rugby, Sale had lost three on the spin. Successive defeats against Toulon and Edinburgh in Europe were followed by a loss to Wasps. Any momentum the Sharks had generated was beginning to fade away.
Their narrow wins over Gloucester and Worcester Warriors helped stop the mini rot, but Sale supporters were beginning to wonder what direction their campaign was heading in.
However, after that blip in form, Sanderson stamped his authority on the side almost immediately, encapsulated by their brilliant away victory at Bristol Bears, who the Sharks face on Friday night.
Back in February at Ashton Gate, Sale hurried and hassled their title rivals. They didn’t give them a moment's peace and it was clear that if any belief had trickled out of the squad, it was quickly restored in the West Country.
Successive wins were followed by back-to-back defeats against Bath and Harlequins as Sanderson shuffled his pack, but since then, there has been no clambering for a top-four spot by Sale.
Only Northampton Saints have been able to halt the Sharks’ pursuit of a play-off place in the last two and a half months and Sanderson’s charges come into their penultimate home game of the regular season on the back of six straight Premiership wins.
The Sale boss described their latest triumph against Bath as “mental turmoil” as his side once again survived a flurry of sin-binnings to come from behind to get the job done.
It is also not the first time the North West outfit have put their Director of Rugby and their supporters through the wringer this term. Against Wasps, Gloucester and Leicester Tigers, the Sharks had to pull themselves out of the fire to continue their winning run and even against bottom of the table Worcester, they didn’t have it all their own way.
Following their recent revivals in front of empty stadia, expect an enthusiastic ovation from the limited capacity crowd that will be inside the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday as they aim to roar their team onto the play-offs.
Alongside the detail in defence which has been on show since Sanderson returned to Sale, he has also placed a huge emphasis on the mental side of the game.
Both Marland Yarde and Josh Beaumont have spoken to TRU about how crucial that psychological aspect has been in ensuring every member of the squad is on the same page and fighting for the same cause. That approach and cohesion might have unlocked Sale’s true potential.
During Sanderson’s first press conference, he stressed he wasn’t going to completely reinvent the wheel and rip up the foundations which Diamond had built. True to his word, the players who flourished under the previous regime are continuing to play a huge role in Sale’s push for the title.
The smart money would suggest if the Sharks are to reach Twickenham on June 26th, they will have their half-back pairing to thank. Faf de Klerk’s contributions to the team, both in a attack and defence, usually speak for themselves, but perhaps at times he has been carrying the burden of being the go-to player if Sale need a spark.
However at fly-half, AJ MacGinty has really stepped up to the mark. His kicking percentage of 84 per cent this season is impressive, but it has been his creativity that has given Sale an extra dimension.
His ability to unlock defences with delicate side-steps, outrageous offloads and supremely timed assists has been a major weapon for Sanderson and signs of the USA international’s influence on the team were slowly coming to the surface in the second half of last season under Diamond.
Faith in youth prospects has never been overlooked at Sale and Sanderson has stuck to that ethos. De Klerk’s understudy, Raffi Quirke, has produced some electric showings when given the opportunity, whilst up front, 20-year-old Bevan Rodd has been superb for the Sharks.
His performances haven’t gone unnoticed either after Matt Proudfoot, England’s forwards coach, visited Sale in April. The loosehead prop could well be part of Eddie Jones’ plans for their summer Tests against the USA and Canada and full-back Luke James may also have done enough to force his way into the international picture.
He, alongside brother Sam as well as the tireless work of the Curry twins, are the personification of the balance which Sale have struck between homegrown talent and stardust from abroad.
Josh Beaumont’s impact on his return from a 14-month injury lay-off has been immense whilst the brute Springbok force of Akker van der Merwe, Jean-Luc du Preez et al is part of the reason why Sale are in the top three sides for the most carries this term.
And all of these plus points have been achieved without arguably their biggest name; Manu Tuilagi.
If Sale needed to enhance their tilt for the Premiership title, the return of the England international couldn’t be more timely. Sanderson believes the centre can have a ‘scary’ impact on the Sharks’ ambitions over the next month having been out of action since September after rupturing his Achilles.
Tuilagi has been named on the bench for Friday night’s clash with league leaders Bristol, but Sanderson said: “Manu's in great shape. He looks massive, not out-of-shape massive, just strong as a bull.
“The lads did some live tackling and I had to stop him running because he was just running through them! It's exciting to see. He looked scary, scarily powerful. I couldn't hold him back if I wanted to. The guy's too strong! We are just conscious, because he's now fit, of chucking him in at the deep end and overloading him.”
The Sharks require just a single point from their final three games to seal their first top-four finish for 15 years. Following Bristol, the Sharks have two more crucial games against fellow title rivals Harlequins and Exeter Chiefs as they target a home semi-final.
If the end of last season’s campaign for Sale was underwhelming, everything is pointing in a positive direction for Sanderson’s men this time around. A play-off place is almost wrapped up, but with a squad oozing confidence and with the return of Tuilagi to boot, a huge month is ahead for the North West club as they go in search of the big prize once again.
