Sale confirm the seven players leaving at the end of the season
Sale have confirmed that the following seven first team players will leave the club following the conclusion of the 2018-19 Gallagher Premiership Rugby season.
Jonny Leota: He arrived from New Zealand in 2011 and has played 129 games for Sale. He was one half of a formidable centre partnership with Sammy Tuitupou: a forceful player with great tackling, carrying and passing skills.
During the past two seasons, he has developed as a blogster, accurately putting the player angle to his readers. He entered the Sharks’ Supporters Club hall of fame in 2019. A holder of 20 Samoan caps, he will continue playing for Sale FC next season while taking up a player liaison role with the Sharks.
Andrei Ostrikov: ‘Drei’ came in 2011 from Aurillac and has been a second row force ever since. Previously with Agen, he is returning to France to play for Grenoble next season. A ‘gentle giant’ who played basketball before discovering he was better at rugby union, he has played for Russia 27 times. Despite bad luck with injuries, Ostrikov has played 146 games for Sale Sharks, scoring seven tries.
Hugely popular with supporters thanks to his pleasant demeanour, off the field, and forceful play on it, Ostrikov received an award at this year’s supporters’ end of season dinner recognising his outstanding contribution to the club.
PLAYER NEWS | The club can officially announce that six first team players will be leaving #YourSharks at the end of the season.
Read more here ? https://t.co/G6IzHgdZwd#Thankyou #SharksFamily pic.twitter.com/KdqC0qBZN2
— Sale Sharks ? (@SaleSharksRugby) May 16, 2019
Alexandru Tarus: The tighthead prop joined the club from Beziers in 2017 and immediately surrounded himself in the Sharks’ ethos, so much so that he received a community award from the cupporters’ club after his first season.
The holder of 33 caps for Romania, Tarus was a popular contributor to social media and developed many friendships throughout Europe. He played 29 times for the Sharks and will be playing for Zebre in the PRO14 next season.
Tom Bristow: He came to Sale last October and has played in 15 matches for the Sharks, coming off the bench on six occasions in the Gallagher Premiership. He came from Narbonne, having played senior rugby for London Welsh, Leicester Tigers and Wasps beforehand.
SEASON FINALE | Sale Sharks v @gloucesterrugby
? Sat 18th May
? KO: 4pm
? @AJBellGroup StadiumThe last Gallagher Premiership league match of the 2018-19 and #YourSharks are fighting to secure a Heineken Champions cup place! Unmissable.
?? https://t.co/WB3R3OWmHl@UKFast pic.twitter.com/66x4WtgBkw
— Sale Sharks ? (@SaleSharksRugby) April 27, 2019
James Flynn: The Sale-born player has been with the club for seven seasons, amassing 55 appearances after making his debut against London Irish in 2012. Apart from brief loans at Stockport and Sedgley Park, he patiently awaited senior opportunities but was frustrated by injury against Wasps last season. He has been in rehab. most of this campaign and only recently returned to match fitness.
Paolo Odogwu: Signed from Leicester Tigers in 2016, the speedy player impressed by scoring eight tries in three games of sevens rugby. A crowd favourite due to his all-action style moving forward, he scored seven tries in his 29 senior appearances at Sale.
He faced competition from Marland Yarde, Byron McGuigan, Chris Ashton and Arron Reed for the No11 shirt, but had considerable success with Sale FC during their first campaign in League National One.
WATCH: John Barclay chats with RugbyPass about the 2019 World Cup, social media, retirement and a potential move abroad after the finals in Japan
Comments on RugbyPass
Saints obviously didn’t get the memo, or needed an ego boost?
1 Go to commentsReturning to the Chiefs would be another good change that could only put him into a better position to succeed in black
6 Go to commentsSimply outrageous and demonstrably false to say Finau’s tackle on Lynagh was “2 seconds late” In reality it was probably 0.5 seconds after he passed the ball. If you carry the ball at speed to within 5m of the defensive line you can expect to get tackled. Finau could have pulled out of it and not absolutely flattened him for sure, but there was going to be contact either way. He seems like a high risk selection at the moment, but there is no one else like him in NZ at the moment. His big tackles make the highlight reels but he is also a great athlete, very fast for such a big man, spent most of his days at lock so also very strong in the line out.
21 Go to commentsYes, Finau looks like the best option. Blackadder is not big enough for an international 6 - he should join the queue at 7. Frizzell had the power and heft and line-out height to play lock, so maybe that is where the ABs should be looking, not at a 7 who’s not big enough for 6, but at a lock who might have the agility to play 6, like Scott Barrett, or… Natai Ah Kuoi, who absolutely fits that bill, but seldom gets to play 6 because the Chiefs have so many loosies.
21 Go to commentsPaul Quinn was a National MP.
6 Go to commentsNo need to worry about losers’ mentality hysteria from Australia. Finau has all the attributes, I don't recall a high or no arms tackle from him, and his timing has been controlled very well since the round 3 Lynagh tackle. It's an easy decision for Razor, the only question is who should back him up from the bench. He can't be overworked like Squire was in his first full season.
21 Go to comments“Reds coach Les Kiss saying later: “I think every player has the right to feel safe.” Maybe Rugby is the wrong sport for people who want to feel safe..?
21 Go to commentsNot sure what the context was, but the highlights showed one scrum against Aussie where the baby Blacks were going backwards at a pace. The pack has been the issue since 2017, so they might be in for another reality check soon. This tournament should really have been two rounds, would have learned a lot more.
1 Go to commentsPeter Lakai has a ‘lot of size’? Since when? To Kirifi maybe. I think Laidlaw clearly saw he’s too small for 6 or 8, so plonked him at 7. Has potential to be Ardies understudy in black for 7.
6 Go to commentsDalton for skipper?
16 Go to commentsOh he's ‘Irish qualified’ isn't that convenient. If Ireland get any more Kiwis (and Aussie) in their backline they might need to run out in green and black kit soon. How is the supposed best rugby system in the world in need of trawling for journeyman Kiwi players?
2 Go to commentsCallum Grace is playing well now that he's finally back in his best position. But given it was Razor who somehow thought Grace was dynamic enough to be a No8 when he's clearly not, Im not sure he’d backtrack on that. Finau is risky with his style, and there's almost no point picking Blackadder when he can’t stay on the field more than five minutes.
21 Go to commentsThe team on paper has more supposed ‘stars’ than a lot of the sides they’re losing to. They’ve got the Razor-blues and aren't playing for Penney. He should jump before he's pushed.
1 Go to commentsProof. That if you lay dramatic instrumental hip hop music over a video of a skinny pale white kid running an unopposed zig zag on a training ground filled with rookies - it’ll look next-level epic!
13 Go to commentsIf they win the challenge Cup then it will have all been worth it. If they don’t, then maybe he should go. Lots of ppl seem to think very highly of him as a coach, but maybe he would be better working under someone. Any top sides looking for forwards coaches rn?
1 Go to commentsJason Ryan knows his craft as forwards coach and I'm sure he’ll hold sway with Scott Robertson of who he feels worthy of selection…his credentials validated when he put a 7xcaps between them front row...Ethan, Samisoni and Lomax on Ellis Park…Go the AB's…
21 Go to commentsFascinating. I’m optimistic about a team coached by Schmiddy, Cron and Parling
14 Go to commentsI think if Blackadder is fit, he has to be in the team. If he isn’t, Finau would be good, and I always thought Akira deserved more of a crack at it. I think he looked better than ppl gave him credit.
21 Go to commentsThanks again Nick and interesting comments from Parling about his lineout preferences. Bearing in mind what Schmidt has said about prioritising Oz based players initially we may not see Skeleton until the EOY trip to Ireland and the UK. To me that suggests that Cale has to be ready by then. In the meantime we get 3 jumpers by having 2 jumping locks and a Wright/Swinton/Holloway/Leota type of guy at 6. I think that he (Parling) would do well to coach Valentini and Wilson to jump more. Surely they could learn more about this?
14 Go to commentsdo what the ABs normally do and cruise around the South Pacific to cherry-pick the contenders
21 Go to comments