'Dead solid' reason why Sale are liking well-travelled Irish hooker

Alex Sanderson has hinted he would like to keep Tadgh McElroy on at Sale after the 27-year-old impressed in recent weeks following his latest move to England. The Dundalk-born hooker has been over and back across the Irish Sea ever since deciding to join the Saracens academy in 2017 as a 19-year-old.

He has since had spells at Bedford, Ealing, London Irish and Bristol as well as featuring for three of the Irish provinces, but he has enjoyed an excellent run of games since landing in Manchester from Ulster in October.

Set to make his seventh appearance after being named on the bench for Friday night’s Investec Champions Cup game at home to Racing 92 six days after he was a starter away to Glasgow, Sale director of rugby Sanderson has explained what he likes about McElroy, a forward he first came across when working as an assistant coach at Saracens.

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“He was destined for good stuff way back when he came to Saracens from Ireland,” Sanderson began. “Dropping out of that Irish system, sometimes it’s more difficult to get back in. He was behind three really good hookers at Sarries, really good hookers who were there for a long time.

“Once you make your bed as a player that has gone overseas maybe you get labelled that way, maybe it’s more difficult to settle in a place that is not your spiritual home I guess. I don’t know because he has been really consistent for us. He has really helped us out, massively.

“We are in a time of need with Tommy Taylor having a back operation. He is well liked, he has got a good shape on him, his set-piece is dead solid. I guess you could say with all of that, and there are his main priorities as a hooker, your set-piece and your defence, where lies his point of difference, where is his X-factor which pushes him above other players?

“You don’t have to have it because if you are good enough, if you are good at all those areas, then you can hold a pack together, the fulcrum of the pack. But in terms of eye-catching game-breaking moments, maybe less so.”

It was October 21 when Sale confirmed a deal with McElroy that will run until the end of the 2024/25 season, but Sanderson has suggested the front-rower might have a future at the club beyond next summer.

“He is a really good professional, really good. Hard at training, learns info really quickly. I have no complaints and only praise for the lad.

“I’d like to be able to keep him and hopefully the salary cap and succession pathway will provide an opportunity for that. We have given him a bit longer to keep proving his point that he wants it and is capable of it.”