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'What a joke' - Diamond lashes Prem over awards snub

(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Former Sale Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond has expressed his frustration on Twitter after the team failed to receive any awards at the 2023 Gallagher Premiership awards.

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Now at Edinburgh in the URC, Diamond was particularly aggrieved at the lack of recognition for his former club, tweeting that “Northern Rugby gets zero respect.”

The Premiership awards took place last night, and the winners were revealed, with Bath Rugby’s Ollie Lawrence scooping the Gallagher Player of the Season award.

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Other winners included Tom Pearson (London Irish) for Breakthrough Player of the Season, Mark McCall (Saracens) for Director of Rugby of the Season, Mateo Carreras (Newcastle Falcons) for Try of the Season, Sean Maitland (Saracens) for Community Player of the Season, Paddy Jackson (London Irish) for Premiership Rugby Top Points Scorer, and Cadan Murley (Harlequins) for Premiership Rugby Top Try Scorer.

However, there was no room for Sale Sharks.

Diamond wrote: “Not a single award for Sale Sharks at the Premiership awards tonight. What a joke. What do they have to do.!!! Northern Rugby gets zero respect.”

Diamond’s criticism comes as no surprise, given his association with Sale Sharks and his passion for the sport. He is a vocal advocate for rugby in the North of England and has been a long-standing figure in the sport.

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cw 8 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Thanks JW for clarifying your point and totally agree. The ABs are still trying to find their mojo” - that spark of power that binds and defines them. Man the Boks certainly found theirs in Wellington! But I think it cannot be far off for ABs - my comment about two coaches was a bit glib. The key point for me is that they need first a coach or coaches that can unlock that power and for me that starts at getting the set piece right and especially the scrum and second a coach that can simplify the game plans. I am fortified in this view by NBs comment that most of the ABs tries come from the scrum or lineout - this is the structured power game we have been seeing all year. But it cannot work while the scrum is backpeddling. That has to be fixed ASAP if Robertson is going to stick to this formula. I also think it is too late in the cycle to reverse course and revert to a game based on speed and continuity. The second is just as important - keep it simple! Complex movements that require 196 cm 144 kg props to run around like 95kg flankers is never going to work over a sustained period. The 2024 Blues showed what a powerful yet simple formula can do. The 2025 Blues, with Beauden at 10 tried to be more expansive / complicated - and struggled for most of the season.

I also think that the split bench needs to reflect the game they “want” to play not follow some rote formula. For example the ABs impact bench has the biggest front row in the World with two props 195cm / 140 kg plus. But that bulk cannot succeed without the right power based second row (7, 4, 5, 6). That bulk becomes a disadvantage if they don’t have a rock solid base behind them - as both Boks showed at Eden Park and the English in London. Fresh powerful legs need to come on with them - thats why we need a 6-2 bench. And teams with this split can have players focused only on 40 minutes max of super high intensity play. Hence Robertson needs to design his team to accord with these basic physics.



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