'We are in the middle of a bit of adversity on and off the field' - Sanderson
Sale boss Alex Sanderson got a touch emotional when he reflected on his rollercoaster first year as a Gallagher Premiership directory of rugby. The long-serving Saracens assistant took the top job in Manchester on January 15 last year, got down to business with a win at Leicester in his maiden outing in charge 14 days later and has been going like the clappers ever since.
Heading into this Sunday’s Heineken Champions Cup tie with Ospreys at the AJ Bell, the Sharks have won 19 and drawn one of the 34 matches played on his watch, a resume that included a rollicking eight-game unbeaten run that took them into last season’s Gallagher Premiership semi-finals at Exeter.
Results have been patchy this term but recent months haven’t been without reward. It was not so long ago that Sanderson revealed his joy at opening a bottle of wine at home with his dementia-affected dad following a dramatic Friday night success for Sale over Harlequins, a vibrant celebration that he will hold dear.
The relentless pace of the past year has never relented, especially with the unexpected adding to the ebb and flow. Take the diverse issues that confronted Sanderson just the other week: there was the arrest of an unnamed Sale player, the uncertainty of trip to France and then the sudden absence of their out-half AJ MacGinty who learned just hours before the club was to fly to Clermont that his wife was being induced and a baby daughter was on the way.
How does Sanderson sum up the hectic twelve months? “I came here to grow a group of players who probably lacked the support, the infrastructure and maybe some belief in themselves,” he explained after getting asked by RugbyPass for his reflection on his inaugural year as a rugby club boss.
Sale have explained the behind the scenes drama that resulted in AJ MacGinty missing their European defeat at Clermont#Sale #HeinekenChampionsCup #SALvOSP https://t.co/h7e9VIYWmi
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 20, 2022
“Players and coaches, that was the remit and I have ended up learning more about myself, growing myself over the last year and I guess that is the way of it, the coaching, you are more exposed as a DoR. I’m starting to think ‘what am I doing?’ because I could have had an easier life. That is just the minority at times. Most of the time I am like, ‘How good is this!’
“It’s really enjoyable and stretching and I still feel like there is so much more, so when you feel like that, feel like you can move the needle with other people to stretch and grow and help an organisation, help a group of people who you like go from one place to another place, that is empowering, that gets you out of bed in the morning, so I am really, really fortunate I guess to sum it up. Lucky to be given the opportunity.”
What does he cherish most from the experience so far? “It’s about the memories, it is definitely about the memories, the fleeting memories of some of the big performances and there have been some big uns, let’s not forget. Even this season there have been some pretty memorable ones.
“I am of the belief and it is weird – we are in the middle of a bit of adversity on and off the field and I know from some experience, although I haven’t been in this situation before in my career, I know now from lesser adversity that when you get through it with a group of people, the experience of doing that is far more lasting and far more impactful on your life and their life as a group than any one-off occasion and we are in it right now.
“I said to the boys when I turned up, we are going to have to live it all boys because this is what it is about, the journey. We are going to have to love the winning because everyone loves the winning, but we are going to have to love the struggle, we are going to have to love both sides of it because that is what it is going to take.
“We have had a good time with some success, now we are finding out whether we are going to be strong enough to stick through this time of adversity and live it just the same. I have just told you I am enjoying it because we have a good group of lads and I feel like we are going to make a turn.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
97 Go to commentsHo hum.
97 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
97 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
97 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
97 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
97 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
97 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
97 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
97 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
97 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
97 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
97 Go to commentsHonestly, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. RSA has a ton of experienced talent in its leadership group. I am more interested in who is the new 8 man/8 men and the younger props. The captain may change but the system does not
1 Go to comments