'When we signed Manu I thought it was great news... we will never have to tackle him again'
AJ MacGinty cannot wait to unleash Manu Tuilagi on Gallagher Premiership leaders Bristol, but also knows he will have to try to stop English rugby’s most feared wrecking ball this summer.
Third-placed Sale host leaders Bristol in a match that will have a significant impact on who has home advantage in the Premiership play-offs which makes Tuilagi’s return as a replacement after eight months out following an Achilles operation so important. While Tuilagi missed out on selection for the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa this summer, he can expect to be involved in England’s July test matches which includes taking on the USA Eagles at Twickenham on July 4.
Dublin-born MacGinty is the Eagles outside half and told RugbyPass: “When we signed Manu (from Leicester) I thought at that time it was great news for every No10 at Sale Sharks because we will never have to tackle him again. Now, I could be playing against him for the Eagles and so I had better get my shoulders warmed up. It’s great to have him back playing for us and I am already having a few jokes with Manu about the Fourth of July match which is a special date for everyone in the States and I have never played at Twickenham or against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium (July 10). Hopefully, with fans back in then my family can be at the Ireland match.
“Manu is just a brilliant guy, so humble and laid back. To see the way he has progressed through his rehab and how dedicated he has been to it has been an inspiration, particularly for the young guys. Despite the injury he had, Manu never came in grumpy and was always picking the lads up. To see him running in the last month has been great and the way he has maintained his weight and fitness – he is a phenomenal athlete and raring to go.
“As a back division we fancy ourselves with our physicality on top of our defensive system. It has grown throughout the season and we have been talking about Bristol about how any disconnection in defence will cause you trouble with players who have power and footwork and with Callum Sheedy pulling the strings in behind. We cannot look past the next opponent and start thinking about where we could finish. We won’t get distracted by all the noise and it is a challenging run and we are up for it against Bristol, Harlequins and Exeter.”
To prepare for an assault on the Gallagher Premiership title, Sale’s players were taken on a night time mountain march up Snowdon in North Wales under the direction of special forces experts. It was the latest idea by Alex Sanderson, the director of rugby, who is trying to challenge his squad in different ways. MacGinty enjoyed the march and the new ideas Sanderson is delivering and also has great respect for Pat Lam, the Bristol director of rugby, who coached him at Connacht.
MacGinty added: “When Pat was in Connacht it was my first year in professional rugby and we had a successful year and I was so raw. They gave me the tools to excel and I learnt so much as a No.10 about game plans from all of the staff at Connacht. I am always grateful for the opportunity they gave me and the time they invested in me.”
The goal-kicking outside half is second in the Premiership points table with 166 and is a key figure in the 41-man initial US Eagles squad to face England and Ireland that features 10 players operating around the rugby world and 31 from the Major League Rugby franchises who are involved in the latest domestic season in America. While the USA Rugby organisation has been in and then out of bankruptcy, the MLR remains a growing brand, attracting high-profile players such as ex-England captain Chris Robshaw and Wallaby Matt Giteau.
MacGinty said: “The hope and the plan is for that league to go from strength to strength and the guys get more opportunities to play at a high level and push for places in the Eagles squad. This feels like a new beginning because we haven’t been together since the last pool match at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
“We haven’t talked about the bankruptcy and the lads just want to get going again and I have been talking to Gary (Gold, Eagles head coach)about the summer tests and then the qualification matches for France 2023 and we want to go as America 1. We have a WhatsApp group with the Eagles and it has been great to see Titi (Lamasotole) win the European Challenge Cup with Montpellier and then David Ani’u win the Heienken Cup with Toulouse the next day .”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick 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.
15 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?
4 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.
4 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 🤐
15 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….
15 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….
84 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!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 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 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.
15 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.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 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 comments