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'At different times I have tried to get him back': The player Pat Lam offered to Sale in 2016 that he has unsuccessfully tried to sign since then

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Bristol boss Pat Lam has revealed he was the go-between for the 2016 move by AJ MacGinty to Sale from Connacht, a move that could now come back to haunt him as the 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership season enters its finishing straight. Leaders Bristol head to Sale this Friday looking to guarantee themselves a home semi-final fixture next month, but they will have their ambitions tested by the third-place Sharks who have been enjoying themselves under new boss Alex Sanderson.   

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For Lam, Friday’s trip to Manchester has him aware of the dangers posed by the Sale half-backs, especially out-half MacGinty. Although born in Dublin, MacGinty represented the USA at the 2015 World Cup and it subsequently resulted in Lam being told by the IRFU at the end of the 2015/16 season that he had to move the American recruit on. 

It was while watching the finals that Lam reckoned MacGinty would be a useful fit for Connacht. However, while he arrived in on a short-term to play a stellar part in the fairy tale that was the Irish province winning the PRO12 title, the powers-that-be at the IRFU told the coach that he couldn’t offer the Irishman an extension as he wasn’t Irish-eligible.

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Scotland’s Ali Price on the moment he learned that he was a 2021 Lions pick

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Scotland’s Ali Price on the moment he learned that he was a 2021 Lions pick

Rather than leave MacGinty to fend for himself, Lam ensured his title-winning No10 was looked after and he has since gone on to enjoy a stellar stint at Sale in England. “Sale are always physical, they are pretty direct but they are well run with Faf (de Klerk) one of the best in the world and AJ, who I have a lot of time for,” said Lam at his media briefing ahead of Friday’s match. 

“Funny enough, I had him in Connacht and we had to let him go and I rang a few Premiership clubs about finding AJ a spot. I spoke to about four or five of them and Dimes [Steve Diamond] was the first one to take him up. At different times I have tried to get him back but he has settled nicely and Sale are going a great job. They have got a really good spine and certainly Faf and AJ run the show.   

“On the back of what happens upfront on go-forward ball, they have got two playmakers in Faf and AJ that can run the game and they have got some quality out wide as well. They are on this journey with Alex, who has done a great job… I love it, I always want big challenges because we [Bristol] grow as a team. That was the dream back in the Championship, to be playing these games at this time of the year, to be playing games that matter, to be playing games where you grow experience.

“I know supporters would like easier games, it would be better on their hearts and so forth but a great competition is when you are playing games like Test matches so this is going to be a huge opportunity for growth for our players and the Bears.   

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“One versus three, there is a lot for Sale to play for and we have always found it difficult to play up at the AJ Bell. We understand the challenge we face and Alex has done a great job building on the good work that Dimes has done. Alex has come in and brought his experience and character to the team and is doing really well so we are under no illusions. We want to win the game to secure that goal it’s far from going to be easy which is what we want in the Premiership.” 

Bristol will be without veteran prop John Afoa, who limped out of last week’s win over Gloucester,  but Lam claimed the unspecified injury isn’t season-ending. “The good thing is he will play again this year and it’s not as bad as we thought. He got caught in a pretty tricky position at a maul so he is working away with the medics but expect to see John again shortly. That [what exactly the injury is] is personal business.”

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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