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'Our books are open to the salary cap manager... we have no secret deals or anything like that'
Sale owner Simon Orange has defended his Gallagher Premiership club’s recent high-profile spending, insisting they won’t fall prey to the salary cap breaches that resulted in Saracens getting automatically relegated to the Championship for the 2020/21 season.
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Much speculation has surrounded the Manchester club’s salary cap finances, especially this year after the likes of Manu Tuilagi, Sam Hill and Lood de Jager were added to a stellar Sale squad already containing the likes of Faf de Klerk and Tom Curry.
However, Orange has insisted the Sale books are open and that there is nothing to hide as Steve Diamond’s squad head to Harlequins this Friday for the restart of the delayed 2019/20 Premiership season.
Sale are seeking a first Premiership title since 2006 and Orange, whose Manchester-based investment group CorpAcq Ltd took control from previous long-term owner Brian Kennedy in 2016, has outlined the recruitment strategy fuelling Sharks’ bid to win the league.
Appearing on the opening season five episode of The Rugby Pod, Orange told Andy Goode and Jim Hamilton: “When I took over Steve had a small squad and it was 50, 60 per cent of everybody else or the average, had fewer players and probably lesser quality if that is the right word.
Straight in… no hanging about on the sidelines with Manu https://t.co/qXixwbVMFD
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 13, 2020
“So we came up with a strategy that within the cap if we kept it to only 32 players because he has always looked after them well. We have had the lowest injury rate in the league every year as far as I can remember. If you can look after them you don’t need 45 players so we decided on 32 players.
“Say we spent £8.5million – let’s say that is what you could spend with injury dispensations and marquee players and everything else and the academy – if you’re spending £8.5m on 32 players rather than £8.5m on 45 players you’re going to get better players, aren’t you?
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“And that is what we have got. Our 32 players can compete against almost any 32 squad in the world. The difference is if we took 20 injuries like say Bath have in the past, then we’d be shooting ourselves in the foot and would be in a bit of trouble. I don’t know what the sums are. Let’s say the average wage is £200,000 in the Premiership, our average at Sale might be £250,000 let’s say because we have got better players but we have only got 32 of them.
“Our books are open to the salary cap manager, we go through it all the time with him. We have no secret deals or anything like that. There is absolutely no pressure on the salary cap. In fact, I’m delighted everybody thinks we are breaking the cap because we must be doing something right with the squad if that is the case.”
The life of @MarkyJ13 fell apart when he learned of the horrific circumstances of his birth.
The ex-England U20s centre talks to @heagneyl about fighting back from drink, drugs, ballooning up to 112kg and finding himself on the brink of homelessnesshttps://t.co/cdx4CZS7rb
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 21, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to comments