Sale Sharks

Lock Michael Paterson will join Northampton from Sale Sharks this summer as the Saints bid to offset the loss of Toulon-bound Samu Manoa.

Former All Blacks flanker Dan Braid has agreed to play one more season at Sale Sharks, before retiring to join the coaching staff at the Aviva Premiership club.

Former England and British and Irish Lions winger Mark Cueto will bring his 14-year playing career to an end this season.

Sale expect Danny Cipriani to ignore the possibility of a move to Toulon and sign a new contract with them within days.

Centre Sam Tuitupou and prop Eifion Lewis-Roberts have both agreed new contracts with Sale Sharks.

Sale hooker Marc Jones will join Bristol for the start of next season, the Championship side have announced.

Sale have bolstered their back row options by signing Samoa international TJ Ioane.

Wasps continue to enjoy life at their new Coventry home as they beat Sale 41-16 at the Ricoh Arena to move into the top five of the Aviva Premiership.

Bath prop David Wilson is expecting to face a Leicester side "hurting" when the two sides meet in the Aviva Premiership at Welford Road on Sunday.

Wasps' recent improvement continued with a win over Gloucester while there were also post-Christmas Aviva Premiership wins for London Irish, Bath, Leicester, Saracens and Northampton.

Sale have tied down young prospects Mike Haley and Josh Beaumont to new two-year deals.

Danny Cipriani created one try and scored another as Sale wrecked Exeter's hopes of climbing to the top of the Aviva Premiership.

Owen Farrell scored a try and kicked six points on his return to the Saracens side as they kept themselves in European Rugby Champions Cup contention with a 19-15 triumph over Sale Sharks.

Sale Sharks boss Steve Diamond was delighted with his side's defensive efforts at the Stoop as his side secured a rare victory over Harlequins.

Clermont Auvergne, Harlequins, Leinster and Racing Métro were the day's winners as round two of the European Champions Cup ended with four action-packed matches.

Round 5 has now come and gone in the Aviva Premiership and we have moved onto the blindside flankers in our ‘Position Watch’ series. The workhorses of the back row, blindside flankers are often the beating heart of any team defensively, whilst the demands of the modern game also require them to be willing carriers and adept at the breakdown.

Tom Arscott scored his fifth Aviva Premiership try of the season as Sale secured their second victory with a 25-14 triumph over Wasps.

The Premiership picks are coming through thick and fast and this week, week three of the feature, we at Talking Rugby Union wanted to bring you the best tries of the weekend.

Toulon forward and former England international Andrew Sheridan has today announced that he will be retiring from rugby with immediate effect.

Gloucester staged a storming second-half fightback at Kingsholm to ignite their Aviva Premiership campaign after an opening day debacle against champions Northampton.