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The latest Sale update on the Manu Tuilagi contract saga
Sale boss Alex Sanderson believes only a last-gasp offer from France or Japan can stop Manu Tuilagi from signing a new deal to stay in England – a move that would prove Gallagher Premiership clubs can hold onto their marquee players despite the salary cap.
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Sanderson has been playing the long ball game with the England centre and after admitting they gave an initial “insulting” offer to Tuilagi, it appears that Sale are now tantalising close to agreeing to a new deal having found more money to pay their highest profile player.
It was two weeks ago, ahead of midweek contract negotiations over a steak lunch in Lymm, that Sanderson explained to RugbyPass his increased optimism that Tuilagi would stick with Sale. “We want him, he wants to stay,” said Sanderson at the time.
“We had no money, then we had a bit of money and now we have got twice as much money than we did have. I’m going to Lymm to sit down with him to see if it’s enough. I know he wants to stay, so this is just a question of whether his family can survive on it and how much he is willing to sacrifice. I guess I will be buying lunch.”
With that lunch meeting over and Sale set to renew their Premiership title bid with this Friday’s trip to Bristol, Sanderson now believes only a mega 11th-hour bid from France or Japan could ruin all of the time he has spent helping to convince Tuilagi to remain in England.
"I’m going to Lymm tomorrow to sit down with him to see if it’s enough."
– Alex Sanderson has revealed the latest offer Sale will make to Manu Tuilagi after "insulting" opening gambit, w/@heagneyl ??? #EnglandRugby #Sale #GallagherPrem https://t.co/JWmpDrYTn0
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 28, 2023
“I am happy to tell you that everything is positive (on Manu) and close. I can’t confirm as yet but it is more positive and closer than it has ever been. Everyone knows that until the cat is in the bag and your chickens have fully hatched, you can’t call it with retention or recruitment – but all the signs are good.
“Manu wants to stay. It was pretty hopeless, but where there is a will and things have happened that weren’t in our control months ago that have allowed us to come back to the table. But until it’s done, people come in as always – the French are late to offer contracts and Japan also. Given the curve balls I have faced in the past, you just can’t put away one of those outlying factors that can affect what we want to happen.
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“It is really close. It is in the laps of agents and if it was my decision and you could take agents out of it, then it would have been done weeks ago. I want it done quicker and so does Manu, but it is in the corporate ether.”
Meanwhile, Tom Curry is set to make his comeback following his Guinness Six Nations training ground injury with England. “I have had a few short conversations with Tom.
“The injury is the same injury but on the other leg from what he had pre the Six Nations, so he understands the loading aspect and what he needs to come back in form – which he did against Northampton, he was brilliant. There is a high expectation, but he is a great player and he puts that on himself.”
Dan du Preez will also be involved after he opted to delay a shoulder operation and instead complete the season with the injury strapped. “Dan has loose ligaments in his shoulder and he still needs an operation but has chosen to play which shows you the type of man he is.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen 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.
25 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.
9 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.
25 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?
11 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.
11 Go to comments