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'I do not have an open checkbook whatsoever' - Alex Sanderson calls in 'clinical psychologists'
By Chris Jones
Alex Sanderson is calling in clinical psychologists to help his Sale Sharks players unlock their potential and deal with the pressure of professional rugby in the middle of a world-wide pandemic.
Sanderson, who is two weeks into his role as director of rugby, is preparing his players to take on Premiership leaders Bristol on Friday night and believes using a specialist company will have long term benefits for the coaches and players at Sale.
He explained: “They are experts in sport and it’s not for everyone and will be case by case. The company is called Changing Minds and I have worked with them before and they have worked in cricket and the Olympics and probably one of the most experienced sporting psychologists out there. We will meet with them on Wednesday and I am looking forward to working in conjunction with them and the players. It is not a case of ‘here is a player he needs help’. It is about working with them to get the players in the best possible spot. If we get that right they will play better.
“The current situation has exaggerated peoples mental state so if you were a little bit stressed before then you are going to be more now. There are less people to talk to less support because of the restrictions. Sport and the economy is less stable and that emotional and financial security people need is less certain and so the more we can invest in peoples psychological well being the better. The club is open to it and to doing that.
“I do not have an open checkbook whatsoever! Any expense has to be well justified and certainly it was one of the assurances I was given coming in – one that I needed – was that we were going to invest in the infrastructure around the players. We have a good squad and great training facility but can we make the support the team and coaches have as good as everything else. That is potentially a place we have under-invested the past at Sale.
“There are a lot of young directors of rugby in the game and it isn’t an easy job and I am only two weeks into and it is going to get harder, miles harder. I don’t have a magic wand and there is no short cut and you need to surround yourself with people who can support you to improve and stay healthy and move forward.”
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Latest Comments
Spot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
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