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More players will follow Chris Ashton out Sale door - Diamond
Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond has stressed that the club “are not going to be derailed” following the departure of Chris Ashton.
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The Sharks announced that Ashton was leaving with immediate effect on Monday, having reached a mutual agreement with the wing over the termination of his contract.
On Tuesday Diamond said there had been “a disagreement on how we want to play the game” with Ashton, adding: “He wants to do it one way, I want to do it another and that’s it, so end of story.”
Diamond, whose side are currently second in the Gallagher Premiership, said it had been a fairly amicable parting with Ashton, before adding: “We are not going to be derailed off where we have gone in three years.
“We have come from being a club that’s never been relegated but managed to finish sixth four times out of six or seven, spending 50 per cent of what everybody else has spent, and now we have got the resource and finance and commercial backing. We have got a model that works and people have to buy into it.
“And it always happens. No doubt by the end of the season somebody else will say ‘it’s not my cup of tea and I’m off’. But it’s just mid-season, and it’s a big name.”
Ashton joined Sale in July 2018 after one season at Toulon. The 32-year-old, who won the most recent of his 44 England caps in February 2019, has scored four tries in seven Premiership appearances this season.
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Asked if it had been a difficult decision for him, Diamond said: “No. It was the right decision for Chris and for us.
“It’s rare that (a situation like this) happens mid-season, but there’s always an end point for anyone’s career with a club. You just have to deal with it.
“If people’s views don’t align then you might as well have a discussion about it. We didn’t need to wait until the end of the season to do it.”
Asked how he regarded Ashton’s time with Sale, Diamond said: “He scored tries, on the field fantastic.
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“The job for me is keeping a balanced environment which isn’t always happy, because it’s not when you win, lose or draw, but 95 per cent of the time everybody is on the same wavelength.
“If somebody says ‘I don’t want to do it this way’ then you can try to work with them, which we have done, and if it doesn’t come that way then the best way for everybody…
“There’s a lot of enjoyment and fun. I know it’s professional but you get the best out of people if they are happy.
“If you are not happy in what you are doing then why not… At 4pm it’s not a prison. You don’t have to come back. That’s not being direct, that’s being honest.
“As we find, sometimes the more honest you are the more people have difficulty dealing with that. That’s as it is.”
Diamond emphasised Ashton’s departure was not for financial reasons and was not aware of links to Harlequins.
He added: “I didn’t know anything about that. Good luck to him, he’s a good player. If he can get a club at Harlequins, then fine.”
Diamond also said he feels Sale have a squad good enough to cope with one or two changes in personnel.
When contacted by the PA news agency, the sports management company representing Ashton declined to comment on the matter.
Press Association
Comments on RugbyPass
Sometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to comments