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Sale Sharks lock in AJ McGinty's long term future

By Online Editors
USA playmaker AJ MacGinty. (Photo by Getty Images)

Sale Sharks’ long-term ambitions have received another major shot in the arm with the news that influential fly-half AJ MacGinty has signed a new four-year contract with the club.

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The Irish-born American international playmaker has produced some of the best rugby of his career for the Sharks this season, establishing himself as one of the Premiership’s most formidable fly-halves.

Though currently sidelined with a knee injury, AJ is set to make a welcome return to action shortly.

And following news of a new deal for Denny Solomona and with several other contract renewals in the pipeline for a number of key players, confirmation that AJ is to extend his stay with the Sharks for another four years is yet further demonstration of the club’s determination to achieve success.

The 28-year-old was a graduate of Blackrock College in Dublin and played with the College’s academy side before moving to America to study for a Masters degree in Sport Health Science where he played for Life Rugby Eagles.

The fly-half was then selected for the USA team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and impressed in all three of the Eagles’ group games, kicking 25 points.

That fine form earned AJ a move back to Ireland to join Guinness PRO12 team Connacht for whom he made 16 appearances in a memorable 2015/16 season.

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His reliable boot and playmaking ability helped the province complete a dream campaign as they won the PRO12 title for the first time in their history with a 20-10 triumph over Leinster.

AJ subsequently made the switch to Sale in the summer of 2016 and he has since demonstrated what a class act he is with his laser-like accuracy with the boot, superb game-management skills and formidable defensive ability.

Just shy of 200 career points for the Sharks to date, AJ’s qualities were further emphasised earlier this week by official statistics released by Premiership Rugby which revealed he is the most accurate kicker in the competition’s history.

Of all the kickers that have taken more than 75 shots at goal, MacGinty is the only player to have a kick-success percentage of more than 85 per cent. Of 90 attempts at goal to date, AJ has missed just 12, giving him a success rate of 86.67 per cent.

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Following confirmation of his new contract, AJ said: “I am delighted to commit my long-term future to Sale Sharks.

“The vision the owners and coaches have for the club make Sale an exciting place to be in the coming years and with the strong group of players and young prospects committed to the club, I am confident we can challenge for honours in future seasons.

“I have enjoyed my time at the club so far and believe that while I have improved as a player in my time here, with particular thanks to Deacs and Jon Callard, my best rugby in a Sale jersey is in front of me.

“I would also like to thank all Sale Sharks supporters who have been brilliant with me from day one and I look forward to getting back on the pitch in the coming weeks.”

Commenting on AJ’s new deal, Sale Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond said: “The figures released earlier this week which revealed that AJ is the most accurate kicker in Premiership history just underline what a top player he is.

“AJ’s attention to detail is second to none. He started his professional rugby career at an older age than many but he shows all the maturity and skill-sets that anyone could wish for and he has been and will continue to be a fantastic player for us.

“He’s a great lad to have around. He’s very modest and keeps his head down but he’s hugely popular with all the staff and our supporters. He’s also able to put his point across at team meetings and with the coaches and he’s not one of those players who just sits on the fence.

“He’s such a dedicated lad and he ticks every box that we want and so much more so I’m really delighted that he’s signed the new deal with us.”

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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