Jibulu caps great form with new Sharks deal but Sanderson expects more

Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson has confirmed that hooker Nathan Jibulu has signed a new deal to stay with the club until 2030, and he has backed the man they call Jibbernaut to secure his place in Steve Borthwick’s England squad for the Nations Championship.

Croydon-born Jibulu, 23, has been in superb form for the Sharks this season and has secured man of the match awards in their Gallagher PREM wins over Saracens and Harlequins in the last two weeks.

And his timing couldn’t be better: with Saracens stalwart Jamie George set to retire after the World Cup, no one has emerged to challenge Luke Cowan-Dickie as Steve Borthwick’s first-choice.

Cowan-Dickie and Theo Dan are handy around the park, a strength of Jibulu’s, but doubts remain about their set-piece throwing, an area he improved this summer that could give him the edge to become George’s long-term successor.

“Mike Forshaw gives everyone nicknames because he isn’t very good with names, and he calls him Jibbernaut because he is just an immovable object. We have like three levels of contact, and doing level one, you’re not really throwing your shoulder in, you’re not spending time in the tackle, but he just stands his ground and people tend to bounce off him in training.

“He was always a good character, but on both sides of the ball now he’s proven to be a bit of a wrecking ball, and Mike Forshaw brought him under his wing.

“Behind Jamie (George) or Luke (Cowan-Dickie), I don’t think anyone’s really kind of put their hand up and grabbed hold of that number two/three spot, so it’s there for him, isn’t it?

“What’s been most impressive is the set-piece, his throwing and scrummaging, because he’s always been a really good ball carrier because he is such a powerful athlete.

“But you’ve still got to, as a front-rower, do your bread and butter, and the set piece is your foundation, and that’s the platform for him to be able to express himself around the park. He’s doing that to good effect.

“He is committed to us until 2030. So he’s kind of settled here now and made his home, and that in itself can release you a little bit as well,” Sanderson told RugbyPass.