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'This is a sticky subject': Sale break silence on Marland Yarde exit

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Sale boss Alex Sanderson has broken the club’s silence on its terminated relationship with Marland Yarde, the ex-England international who tweeted last weekend that he was the unnamed player arrested last January by police. The 30-year-old, who was capped on 13 occasions for his country between 2013 and 2017, last played for the Sharks on January 7 away to Bristol.

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That was his ninth start of the 2021/22 campaign but he was suspended by his club following an incident in Manchester that same weekend as the Bears game. It has now been confirmed that he has exited the club by mutual agreement and isn’t part of the Sale squad for the 2022/23 season – even though the police investigation ended with no charges getting laid down against him.

“He left by mutual agreement,” said Sale boss Sanderson about Yarde when asked by RugbyPass at his Tuesday media briefing what the status between the club and player was. “That was sometime in the summer because of all the negative press and all the association.

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“This is a sticky subject because I care for him and his family and I was the correspondence for him and his mum, so I am not going to go into his mental state or the difficulties he has had over the last eight months which have been extreme. Extreme. I can just say right now from what I hear he is in a good place and he is looking to keep playing the game.”

It was Friday night when Yarde posted an apology on social media that has since been deleted from his account. The statement read: “In January, as I think it is known by some of the rugby community, I was arrested on suspicion of having committed a very serious offence.

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“A necessarily lengthy police investigation followed but I can now confirm that no further action is to be taken against me. I have not been charged with any offence. Whilst I never doubted my innocence, I understand that the investigation had to be handled with care and sensitivity for the protection of all involved. Although innocent of the crime alleged against me, I take full responsibility for having put myself in a situation where an allegation could be made against me.

“I am working hard to improve as a person using what the incident has taught and shown me. I want to apologise to all my family and friends for the hurt and distress I have caused them. Their love and support gave me the strength to see a positive future, and I look forward to resuming my career doing what I love which is playing rugby.”

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The social media post from Yarde confirming that he had not been charged with any offence was the first update on the situation since a club statement on January 12 read: “Sale Sharks have been made aware of an allegation against one of its players and the subsequent arrest of that player by Greater Manchester Police on Sunday, January 9, 2022.

“The player in question has been suspended by Sale Sharks until further notice and is currently cooperating with police officers to assist in their investigation. As this matter is subject to a legal process there will be no further comment at this time.”

Yarde made his Sale debut in November 2017 having originally started the 2017/18 season in the colours of Harlequins, whom he joined in 2014 after initially making the breakthrough into the pro ranks via London Irish.

His exit from Sale has been offset by the arrival from Exeter of Tom O’Flaherty, who was the scorer of a hat-trick of tries last Friday versus Benetton in the Sharks’ final pre-season match before the start of their new Gallagher Premiership season this Friday at home to Northampton.

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“I don’t know if you have seen the pre-season games but Tom O’Flaherty has come in and he is better than I thought he was and he was pretty much the most underrated player in the Premiership last year,” reckoned Sanderson. “He has been brilliant, not just as a player like most people but he is a social animal. He has been accepted and indoctrinated as part of the team.”

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Trevor 22 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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