The turned-down offer Jono Ross made to come out of retirement

Ex-Sale skipper Jono Ross contacted his former club recently with an offer to come out of retirement on a short-term basis. The Gallagher Premiership leaders learned in mid-November that they had lost Tom Curry for the season due to his need to have a hip operation.

They spent the next few weeks pondering if they needed to recruit cover but they eventually decided that the resources they already had at the club would be sufficient to get them through the winter to the end of January break, by which time some other injured players would be back in the selection mix.

It has now emerged that the Sharks could have brought in ex-player Ross, who retired following last May’s Premiership final loss versus Saracens at Twickenham.

The 33-year-old had been at the club since 2017 but he decided to call time on his career and return to the family farm in South Africa while also taking up a position with Poseidon Logistics.

However, as soon as he heard Sale would be without Curry and might look to bring in cover on a short-term basis, he contacted the director of rugby Alex Sanderson to offer his services, an invitation that wasn’t taken up.

“When we were kind of looking at the market with Tom Curry being out, when we only needed someone for a few months, Jono Ross caught wind of it and sent an email,” revealed the Sale boss ahead of the club’s Investec Champions Cup opener versus Stade Francais on Sunday.

“He said he feels fitter and fresher than he ever felt, as he would lugging around fertilizer on the farm, but it’s different gravy when you get back into taking the hits like he does.

“Just to let you know on that little ditty, he almost made a comeback but I don’t think we need him. Ernst van Rhyn is top of the charts for dominant tackles and for tackles made. He is doing the job for us at the moment. We are looking to have him.”

Stade arrived in Manchester having finished the opening nine-match Top 14 block in fifth position, just two points behind leaders Racing after six victories. They conceded just 153 points, the lowest concession in that league to leave Sanderson braced to encounter a typical Paul Gustard-coached opposition.

“We have got to be better at being able to contain sides with some of the flair and unpredictability that French sides offer,” he said. “Stade aren’t one of those sides.

"I’m not saying they are not a challenge. They are an unbelievable challenge for where they sit in the league but they are not typically a side that have been playing with that transitional flair that a Racing or a Toulouse play with.

“Stade are a big, physical team. Best defence, best set-piece, kick the most. They have all the hallmarks of some part of Paul Gustard imprinted, so we expect a different kind of challenge this week.”