'Sod it': Sale call out Premiership awards, tickets advert snubs

Alex Sanderson has revealed the reaction at Sale after none of their players were included in last week’s Gallagher Premiership team of the year or won an individual award. The director of rugby also called out a tournament tickets advert that failed to include a picture of any Sharks player.

Sanderson’s Sale are due to Bath this Saturday after reaching their third semi-final in four seasons with an exceptional May 18 win away to defending champions Saracens.

That qualification was followed by the Manchester club’s boss attending the league’s end-of-season awards, where Sale didn’t win a thing, a wound that had salt rubbed into it when they noticed a promotion for tickets that failed to acknowledge their presence in the play-offs.

Asked for his reaction about the likes of the on-song George Ford not being selected on the team of the year, Sanderson said: “I reported on Friday morning. I went to the Prem awards on Wednesday, and I said, ‘Lads, not a lot to report from the Prem awards, we didn’t win a thing’ to a massive uproar and cheer from the lads.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise we are actually leaning in and revelling in the fact that no one really rates us. Not a bad place to be. But I think he [Ford] should be included.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, he has been brilliant for us and, as I said in the past, how he has shifted the attacking focus mentality of the international side [England], I believe he was a big influence with that, and he still seems to go unrecognised for a lot of his efforts. Not in-house he doesn’t, just externally.”

Switching to the tickets advert that piqued his interest, Sanderson explained: “There is an advert out there for ticket sales and there is not even a Sale player on the advert. It just shows you. Sod it. It’s great, we’d rather be in this position and use that as ammunition.”

Sale will very much be representing northern rugby when they contest the play-offs, and Sanderson is delighted they have bucked the odds that suggested they wouldn’t be involved as they were way down the table when the league resumed after the Guinness Six Nations.

“We are a very proud northern club with some South African steel,” he said. “We have shown unbelievable resilience over the last five weeks whenever the game has been a knockout game and apart from the couple of blowouts when teams have played second teams, we have put some of our most consistent attacking rugby out there.

“I think we have scored the most in terms of points if not bonus points, which has seen a shift in our game. So, I’m massively proud to be a part of this group for our resilience, for our physicality, for how we have been growing, adding to our game, particularly in this business end post the Six Nations.

“We are just not as fashionable as your Bath, Sarries, not as flashy Quins, not as bold as Bristol. But we are very proud, we are enjoying ourselves and we are putting a good product out there as well. You can be the judge of that. But if we keep winning and keep performing, we will turn the tide of popularity, I’m sure.”