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The 'point of ridicule' that has Sale happy with Bristol-bound AJ
Sale boss Alex Sanderson has hailed the recent return to top form of AJ MacGinty, the out-half who this Friday is set to line out for the Sharks when they visit Ashton Gate, the stadium that will become the American international’s home club ground next season when he joins Bristol.
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It was November 10 when it was confirmed that the Bears has signed MacGinty, a player who had previously worked with their boss Pat Lam when they were together at Connacht for the Irish province’s 2015/16 PRO12 title-winning season.
Lam had previously unsuccessfully tried to sign MacGinty since taking charge at Bristol in 2017 before the stars eventually aligned two months ago as the soon-to-be 32-year-old agreed to a transfer to the Bears rather than continue on at Sale.
That decision resulted in Sanderson going to be market and quickly recruiting out-of-favour England out-half George Ford as MacGinty’s replacement for next season.
MacGinty will now get an early taste of what it is like to play at Bristol when he goes there this weekend with Sale in the Premiership and Sanderson is delighted that his team will go there with an out-half back in top form judging by his efforts in last weekend’s win over Wasps in Manchester.
The thorny issue about English teams playing the French in Europe is a hot topic again following Tuesday's latest committee level talks#HeinekenChampionsCup #Sale #CLEvSALhttps://t.co/amlQYalFMp
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 4, 2022
“He is doing really well,” said Sale boss Sanderson about MacGinty ahead of the player’s visit with his soon-to-be old club to his new employer on Friday. “I had a good chat with him on the field Monday because I hadn’t caught up with him in a while and kind of left him to it. AJ, as you have witnessed, is one of those players who if he is happy he plays really well because it frees him up like it does most people.
“You probably saw in terms of the performances post an injury after London Irish (in September) he had a little dip and wasn’t as mercurial or pulling the strings as he did last Saturday down at the AJ Bell. His performance on Saturday is a good indication of how he is right now which is a little more settled, certain of his future and the fact that he is leaving is accepted.
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“We give it to the academy boys here to sing a customised Christmas carol at one of our dinners and they actually wrote into this Christmas carol that AJ and JP (du Preez) were leaving (at the end of this season), so it has now become a point of ridicule for him and as soon as that happens you know it is accepted.
“His wife is very pregnant, she is just about to have their second child and he seems very… we don’t speak about it [Sale playing Bristol], we haven’t mentioned it this week but he is right on in terms of probably wanting to prove to us what we will be missing and to them what they are getting.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Minicamp rules include no-pads and no tackling.
1 Go to commentsToulouse has enough quality players so no headaches 😁 Choco is rarely a starting centre. Throughout this championship there have been far worse actions that were never called… too many rules, too many rule changes, too many inconsistencies, too many angry fans. I'm not surprised rugby does not attract new spectators, how could they understand 🤣
6 Go to commentsAh yes Andy with his “Goode” views. Oke might as well come out and say it, “I like seeing South African scrums depowered in order to give the rest of the world a chance”. Somehow he thinks World Rugby always knew about calling scrums from marks and it just so happened to coincide with Damien Willemse’s call that they decided to change the rules. Ah come on, if he can't see it then he needs prescription glasses. No ways, they are doing this for the betterment of Rugby. They want to clamp down on Rassie’s innovative skills than encouraging coaches to think outside of the box to try new things. What they can't count on is what Rassie will plan next. I almost get the impression that once Rassie retires World Rugby is going to be scrabbling around trying to find their identity. Currently set at ARP (Anti-Rassie Party). Although I don't really care in that regard because they always a RWC step behind.
7 Go to commentsWow ten years since they had a backing and more from the paying public I’d also mention that as a blues man and in walking distance to the garden I’d say that this team and Vern Cotter have got us dreaming beautiful thoughts and the merit is there from numbers 1 to 23 but we would like to think this is the new dna for the ABs and a pack weighing 940kg dry y not I hasten to add it seems patty has to stay fit cause he is the driver the main driver and they follow plus the pipe man H Plummer is conducting his own orchestra ….. Beethoven anybody
1 Go to commentsJuicy stuff well covered I’d go as far as to say that the referee was a key component in keeping it a tasty spectacle
1 Go to commentsCotter has added that steel that has been missing. Let's see if it will carry until the Finals… Come on the Blues ….
2 Go to commentsAndy Goode just loves to be controversial. Its boring. Let’s all stop reading.
7 Go to commentsYou have got to consider that if the situation was flipped and the French were held to a salary cap with no English equivalent, the English would laugh in their faces and tell them to get over it. As for Leinster (as a fan), the central contract system is a dream but is guilty of cutting out the other 3 provinces. At the end of the day, it comes across outside of the English border that the Premiership is drowning and trying to take everyone else with it rather than adapt. The English lose, the English want new rules. We've seen this repeat (and once it even led to the current Champions Cup) You make many good and informed points, but if the flip was on the other flop, it wouldn't be Rugby’s problem I suspect - it would be a French one.
17 Go to commentsSeems to have been a bright start but it tailed off. To win the big matches you have to get used to putting your foot on the throttle and your opponent’s necks in an 80 minutes performance which is what the All Blacks were renowned for. An example in the Women’s game is England v Ireland in the 6N match played at Twickenham in April. Watch on YouTube.
1 Go to commentsBobby has been a first grade bonehead since high school. Like a true Cape Tonian, his own reflection is more important than anything else.
1 Go to commentsNo comment on the textbook red card for Ramm that was just ignored? Amazing that
4 Go to commentsThese rule changes have been implemented with good intentions, but much like every other rule change focus on isolated symptoms instead of the root cause. If you cannot croc roll, and cannot risk any head contact with a front on clear out, it is not clear how you are supposed to lawfully clear someone out who is attempting a jackal. This will backfire massively and lead to substantially more kicking. Teams will simply not want to take the ball into contact. Or it will lead to even more dangerous methods to clear players out who are over the ball. I much prefer having the set piece on a 30 second shot clock over no scrum on a short arm infringement. Resets are not a problem in themselves, but 90 second water and tactics breaks before every scrum are a big problem. Trainers constantly coming on to the field to help players pull their socks up and delaying the game are a problem. DuPont law was a blight on the game and should have been changed the day after it was first implemented.
79 Go to commentsAh yes, the opinion of Andy Goode… Andy Goode, the man who knows what some of the Irish players said to Eben Etzebeth after the QF, better than what Eben himself knows. And, judging by this piece, the Grandmaster of clichés.
7 Go to commentsI think this is a fair view. As a South African I am concerned about the depowering of the scrum but let’s be honest, until the SA vs FRA quarter many people didn’t even know you could take a scrum from a free kick. As you say it’s going to come down to interpretation… until then we don’t really know how this is going to impact the game. That would lead to my own objection. Do the unknowns of changing a law outweigh the cons of said law. With such an obscure law that most people had never heard of, one that had never really had an impact on the game in the first place is it worth changing to invite so much uncertainty. Better the devil you know then the devil you don’t as it were…
7 Go to comments162 comments so far and counting. i didn't realize that rugby fans are on the way to join the football brothers. what is the point to share personal opinion only to get all this shi*? it seems IRB bosses are doing the great job by killing the spirit of the game both on and outside the pitch. too sad, indeed. btw, was there anything on eben’s point of view from the boys in green, who he mentioned?
164 Go to commentsJob done guys. Great win in a game where things can quickly go wrong.
1 Go to commentsAlex Sanderson fantastic coach and person .So pleased he has signed another contract great days ahead for Sale under his leadership.
1 Go to commentsAndy Goode cant kick to 12
164 Go to commentsDoxed himself. Great work Johnny. You are well suited to the Saders
1 Go to comments_Best game players _
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