Sale reckon Solomona return is 'one of our proudest achievements'
Alex Sanderson has hailed the return to Premiership action by ex-England winger Denny Solomona as one of his proudest achievements so far during his eight months in charge as the Sale director of rugby. It was January when the former Saracens assistant inherited the squad left behind by Steve Diamond but the 28-year-old Auckland-born player had made just a single appearance until coming off the bench at London Irish.
Solomona, who has spoken candidly in the past to RugbyPass about his mental health issues, was introduced as a 52nd-minute replacement at Brentford for Simon Hammersley, his first run in the league since a mid-February start at Harlequins. Speculation that he was on his way to another club followed after he had fallen out of favour. However, the five-cap England back has come through an energising pre-season to become part of Sanderson’s plans again.
It was last week, having missed out on selection for the opening round win over Bath, that Solomona posted a message on social media about trusting the process and he was rewarded with a comeback appearance in the draw at Irish. That return to the team left Sanderson and his fellow coaches chuffed with how they had handled the situation.
“As a group of coaches it’s probably one of our proudest achievements,” enthused Sanderson when asked by RugbyPass at his weekly Sale media briefing to give some insight into the process of getting Solomona back up to speed and available again for selection.
“I was just watching him now chatting to Warren Spragg and all of us who had some involvement (with Denny) have been most impressed by him but happy with ourselves with how we have managed to get (back) a brilliant player who has had some mental issues and everyone is fully aware of that, he has been to the press about it in the past and has had mental issues, but he is now flying because he is super motivated.”
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Domestic bliss has also played its part, Sanderson continuing: “He has got a little girl, is in love with his wife and these things make a difference. He has that support base that he perhaps didn’t have in the past. He feels backed by us as coaches, he is fitter than he has been, he is looking sharp, he has got a very close group of mates in Rohan (Janse van Rensburg) and Manu (Tuilagi), both of whom understand how excellence breeds excellence in terms of them pushing each other and pushing him.
“So he has got a group around him, he is backed by the coaches, he has got love at home and as a result, he is flying. I’m not praying because he didn’t need my prayers, and I am just hoping he plays as well as he trains because he has been pretty rare in training.”
Sanderson’s career in coaching up until 2021 had been as an assistant at Saracens and the situation with Solomona was an early test for him as the rookie Sale boss. “Yeah, yeah, I had to step back a little bit more and let other coaches be a bit more personable, a bit more hands-on with him. I found that difficult.
“My comfort blanket is with the players, you know, my comfort blanket is with the team and working on performance, so when things get stressy you tend to go back to what you know, don’t you? So I am constantly having an eye on the lads and their short-term performance and having to have that step back… it was a bit different.
“Different because he [Solomona] is a different person and they are all different, aren’t they, and that is the challenge and it is the blessing because it keeps the job interesting, renewed and fresh every day because you have that variety in personalities that you have to manage and try and get the best out of.”
Sanderson has now challenged Solomona to keep getting selected by Sale, referencing what was said post-game last Sunday in London and the undoubted talent he knows the player possesses. “Denny, are you going again? That was the message. Are you going again? That is the only tip I can give you,” he said before focusing on the potential he wants to see realised on a consistent basis.
“We have these highlights reels all the time before we play teams and a lot of it is from clips from when we have played teams before and when he first came here (in 2016 from rugby league’s Castleford), he was sensational. That was what got him into the England team, his finishing ability to spot a gap and not just that, he is very strong in the air as well.
“So in his kicking game when people kick contestables off nine he is super strong in the air. A lot of that being able to finish, backing yourself, going through a hole, being confident to go in the air, a lot of that is confidence, it has to be and these players back themselves so if you are not backing yourself off the field you are never going to back yourself in the field so it’s a very holistic view that we have taken with him.
“He is the one who has driven it, we have just facilitated it, and he had earned himself this position, he has got himself back into an opportunity where in getting it right, I can’t see him not competing for international honours if he gets back to where was prior to lockdown.”
Asked whether the fitness regime Solomona has adopted in recent months has had any similarities to what the kilogramme shedding Tuilagi has been up to with midfield partner van Rensburg, Sanderson replied: “He hasn’t been on a weight loss programme with those two but he does sit next to them every team meeting and things like that so I know he has taken a lot of inspiration from them in terms of sticking to plan, sticking to a task.
“His first test was not getting selected in that first game because he had worked as hard as he did and he probably expected to be involved and he wasn’t. He got over that and still trained really well and that was a true sign he is on the right path. When the first sign of an excuse for him not to pitch up came, he rode it so I am looking forward to him going and playing.”
'It's the biggest thing we need to cover, equal rights. We need to accept everyone for who they are and what they do, regardless of what they are and what they believe in' – @DennySolomona of @SaleSharksRugby on a hot topic for @premrugby and beyond ?? https://t.co/mTxJYvNDdd
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 26, 2019
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 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
14 Go to comments