Sale Sharks expect success in upcoming 2011/12 Premiership season with revamped unit – Rugby news
Following their consistently poor performance for the past three seasons and particularly after their sorry display in the 2010/11 Aviva Premiership, in which they just finished at the 10th position, Sale Sharks have completely revamped their
team and the coaching staff in a bid to better perform in next year’s Premiership.
At the end of the last Premiership season, Sale Sharks Director of Rugby, Steve Diamond, announced the termination of contract for 22 members of their clubs, which included 18 players, and four team management members.
Providing the back story of the massive changes in the team the 42-year-old Diamond who is a former Sharks player, said, “We did an audit ourselves, I did it for [chief executive] Mick Hogan and [owner] Brian Kennedy, and I came back with the recommendations.
We've gone with nine out of 10 of those recommendations, which is wholesale change.”
Diamond isn’t concerned about starting the season with almost a completely new outlook. He added that the previous players’ failed to deliver the results. Players whose contracts were cancelled by the Sharks following their poor performance in the last Premiership
season include the likes of Charlie Hodgson, Sale Sharks top points scorer, Chris Jones and Ben Cohen.
Diamond has expressed hope that his newly signed fly halves will do the job for him and the club in the upcoming season. He said, “Our situation is we've got Tasesa Lavea, the Samoan 10, and Nick Macleod, so we're not looking for a front-line fly-half.”
However, Diamond has confirmed that he is still looking for a fullback and a utility back player. He also confirmed that the club is in negotiations with a few players and the final announcement in this regard is expected in a couple of week’s time.
The 31-year-old England international, Marks Cueto, is one of the senior players the club has retained. In June, Cueto was named Captain of the sharks. He added, "There is a buzz and excitement and that comes with Dimes [Steve Diamond] being the main catalyst
for that. He's changed the facilities, half of the squad is new and 90% of the staff, the coaching staff, the conditioning staff, even the chef.”
Cueto is currently with England’s training squad announced for their 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign. He further added, "I'm away with England at the minute, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, but at the same time there is a part of me itching to get
back here and get involved in everything that is going on."
Sharks fans will not see the familiar faces of Chris Brightwell, Chris Bell, Asaeli Boko, Rhys Crane, Carl Fearns, Sean Cox, Chris Jones, Sisaro Koyamaibole, Jack Forster, Matty James, Neil McMillan, Selorm Kuadey, Chris Leck,Simon McIntyre, Nic Rouse, Fergus
Mulchrone, Kristian Ormsby and Mathew Tait when the Sale Sharks take the field against the Newcastle Falcons on July 27.
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