It has been a long road back to the top of the English game for Sale Sharks and on Sunday they will look to go one step closer to winning their second title when they face defending champions Leicester Tigers.
Not since 2006, the year of their last – and only – Premiership triumph, have Sale reached a home semi-final, and Alex Sanderson’s men will seek to make good use of that advantage as they attempt to dethrone the current holders.
Of all the last-four contests this weekend, in both England and the URC, this will probably be the most brutal. Some will say the Irish derby will claim that award, given the rivalry between Leinster and Munster, but there will be much more dexterity in that contest.
These two teams, meanwhile, are simply set-up to hurt the opposition. Physicality and set-piece supremacy will be the order of the day in a clash which will be fought in the tighter exchanges.
There is also a sense of familiarity between the two sides. For Sale, they contain the outstanding England fly-half George Ford, who joined them from Leicester at the start of the season in a move which surprised most when it was announced.
At that point, the Tigers were sitting pretty at the top – and would of course go on to win the Premiership – while the Sharks were in the bottom half of the table. Ford’s decision was purely for family reasons with the northerner spending his entire professional career in either the Midlands or West Country. However, as it’s turned out, it has also helped elevate the Greater Manchester outfit on the field.
While he has missed the majority of the campaign through injury, the playmaker’s influence has been obvious having acted as an auxiliary coach when on the sidelines.
Sale have, alongside Saracens, clearly been the best teams during the regular season, but that doesn’t win trophies and the end of campaign shake-up is traditionally when Leicester have thrived.
For nine years, that was not the case as they slowly slid down the Premiership table. Prior to Steve Borthwick taking charge, they were in serious trouble, but the now-England head coach did an incredible job to revive their fortunes.
Since Borthwick’s departure, Richard Wigglesworth has taken over in the interim, a player very well known to Sale fans after he came through their academy to star in their 2006 title triumph, where the Greater Manchester outfit coincidently beat the Tigers at Twickenham.
The duel between Wigglesworth and Sharks boss Sanderson adds to the occasion having both been part of the incredible Saracens dynasty which claimed three Champions Cup titles and five Premiership trophies.
With the two head coaches both going to the same school, Kirkham Grammar in Lancashire, familiarity and friendship, but also the natural rivalry that brings, are the watchwords for this intriguing encounter.
Wigglesworth will be determined to get one over his former coach after an impressive reign in charge of Leicester. He has done superbly well to turn their fortunes around following heavy defeats to Sale and Newcastle Falcons during the New Year period and, at the moment, the Midlanders are humming.
They were given just an eight per cent chance of reaching the top-four at one stage but, having gone on an outstanding run towards the back end of the season, the Tigers will be incredibly dangerous this weekend.
It is going to be tight and tense but no less enthralling with the AJ Bell Stadium set for an absolute humdinger.
Team news
Sanderson opts for a complete change in the Sale front-row as Nick Schonert returns from a knee injury to line up alongside Akker van der Merwe and Simon McIntyre.
England international Tom Curry returns to the Sale back-row in place of Sam Dugdale and is named at blindside flanker while twin brother Ben captains the team from openside. Jono Ross wears the number eight shirt in his final game at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Gus Warr returns to the Sanderson’s starting XV at scrum-half and will look to steady the Sharks’ ship alongside two-time Premiership winner Ford.
Sale name six internationals as replacements this weekend. Scotland’s Ewan Ashman, who will also play his final game at the AJ Bell, is alongside England international Bevan Rodd and multi-capped Springbok Coenie Oosthuizen to cover the front-row.
Josh Beaumont and Dan du Preez offer further forward cover for the crunch match in Salford, whilst Raffi Quirke, Sam James and Tom O’Flaherty complete the bench.
Meanwhile, Julián Montoya will captain the Leicester team and Tommy Reffell will make his 100th appearance for the club.
Wigglesworth has made four changes to the starting side from the Round 24 defeat to Harlequins at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
George Martin, Freddie Steward and Anthony Watson return to action, after missing the final round of the regular season, while Matt Scott is included in the midfield after coming on as a replacement last weekend.
The lone change to the starting pack is Martin’s inclusion at lock alongside Cameron Henderson in the second-row.
In the backline, Scott comes in to partner Dan Kelly in the midfield, and Harry Potter is joined in the back three by Steward and Watson.
On the bench, James Cronin is in line for a return from injury. Meanwhile, Harry Wells and Guy Porter – who started last weekend’s fixture – are also included among the replacements.
Where the game will be won
It will be a fiercely contested forward battle between two proud packs who are used to getting their own way against other Premiership sides. They emphasise the set-piece and the gain line confrontation, while they rely on their half-backs and kick-chasers to get them into good field position. The teams ultimately employ pretty basic and conservative game plans, which relies on doing the core skills well.
We very much think it will be Leicester’s set-piece against Sale’s sheer size in the back five of the pack. The Sharks tend to target the scrum and lineout but, against this Tigers outfit, that is probably not the greatest idea. Wigglesworth’s charges have simply been operating better in the front-row in comparison to the hosts, so Sale may want to keep their opponents away from those resets.
Equally, Leicester, despite containing the likes of Jasper Wiese up front, will seek to avoid simply running straight into brick walls. They will not be able to dominate the gain line physically with the likes of the Curry twins, Jean-Luc du Preez and Jono Ross in opposition. The Tigers need to be a bit smarter with how they attack and, with Rob du Preez at outside centre, that has been a profitable area for other sides in the Premiership recently.
Last time they met
What they said
Sale Sharks director of rugby Sanderson insists that they will not be overawed by the occasion, something which has perhaps been the case in recent big Premiership and Champions Cup games.
“We have been working towards it and building for this for two years, certainly since a year last Christmas when we realised we had a lot of work to do as an organisation,” he said.
“Since then, we have looked at how we can give ourselves these kind of opportunities. Now we are here, it feels like we have earned it. It’s less of a fairy-tale and there is less emotion around this occurrence than there was two years ago.
“We have referred back to the players, in particular seven or eight of them who have won the big trophies in the past, and how they have managed these weeks, how we can manage these moments better.
“It is a general understanding of how we deal with it, make sure it doesn’t change us, but be aware that it is there.”
Leicester Tigers’ interim head coach Wigglesworth, who started his professional career at Sale, believes that they have to “put in a good performance against the odds” this weekend.
“I live up that way so my lads are at school surrounded by Sale fans,” said Wigglesworth.
“I’m trying to give him something to cheer about and be cocky about when he goes into school. That would be nice. It (Sale) is a club I’ve got great affection for. It’s where I started.
“I know their head coach very well. There are still a lot of people I know up there but it doesn’t really make any difference when you’re playing away from home in a semi-final against a good team. We’ve got to put in a good performance against the odds.
“The club doesn’t do losing semi-finals as a success. One day we’ll be able to look back on a season no-one will ever have again and know we’ve learned loads and grown from it.
“Can we take that as a success? Absolutely. But is it a success losing a semi-final? Absolutely not.”
Players to watch
Physicality and intensity is a staple of the Sale game but they can’t fully utilise that unless they are placed in the right areas and that is where Gus Warr has been so effective. The scrum-half was never regarded as a future star when he was younger – certainly nowhere near the realms of Raffi Quirke for example – but he has improved significantly over the past two years. With Faf de Klerk moving to Japan and Quirke regularly on the sidelines, there were concerns where the Sharks would find their next game manager, but the 23-year-old has stepped up superbly.
His service is slick and his box-kicking always gives the wings a chance of retaining the ball. With Arron Reed and Tom Roebuck both good chasers, and full-back Joe Carpenter excellent under the high ball in both attack and defence, Sale can really squeeze teams. As a result, their opponents have a tendency to overplay against them, which is where their outstanding defence comes into its own.
The Currys, Ben and Tom, have been in stunning form, while Jono Ross is enjoying somewhat of an Indian summer ahead of his retirement, having become a bit of a disciplinary liability over the previous couple of seasons. Sides can attack the outside channels if they get it wrong, however, especially with Rob du Preez at 13. Du Preez – so brilliant at fly-half earlier in the campaign but moved to centre after Ford’s return to fitness – has a tendency to make bad decisions defensively. He is getting better but Leicester will be looking to exploit that area of the pitch.
Tom Curry and Ben Curry share the #GallagherPrem Player of the Match award – a first for everything 😂 pic.twitter.com/NjAgarPoQd
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) April 14, 2023
As for Tigers, they also hit hard up front, but in a slightly different way. Dan Cole remains one of the best scrummaging tightheads in the Premiership and he will need to put the Sale looseheads under pressure, while youngster George Martin behind him is quickly becoming one of the most imposing locks in England’s top tier. The second-row is up there with the Sharks forwards as one of the most dominant tacklers in the competition and his all-round game in the loose will be vital.
Jasper Wiese is another incredible physical presence in the pack, someone who continues to work hard to develop all aspects of his game. His carrying is outstanding but he has also improved defensively, becoming a big turnover threat at the breakdown. There is more responsibility on Wiese following the departure of Ellis Genge, who was someone they always relied on for front foot ball, but the Springbok has filled that hole admirably, seemingly doing even more on the carrying front this season.
In the backline, they will launch their own aerial assault, but equally they will have to be wary of what Sale bring. Fortunately for them, they have two of the best bomb defusers around in Freddie Steward and Anthony Watson, whose experience at the highest level may just give them an edge over Roebuck, Reed and Carpenter. That kick-chase battle will certainly be key to the outcome of the contest on Sunday.
Main head-to-head
The last time George Ford and Handre Pollard started at 10 opposite each other was the 2019 Rugby World Cup final in Japan. On that day, the South African very much had the better of it as the Springboks dominated in Yokohama to claim a 32-12 victory, with the Springbok playmaker kicking 22 points in the triumph.
Since then, Pollard endured an unhappy three years with Montpellier before he joined Leicester as Ford’s replacement. Once again, the Bok initially struggled, this time with injury, and his chances of being involved in the upcoming global tournament was in danger. However, since returning from a knee issue, he has found the type of form which helped South Africa to the Webb Ellis Cup four years ago.
The 29-year-old is kicking well, both out of hand and off the tee, and is also showing some classy touches in attack. It will be fascinating to see if he can translate that into a big semi-final against a pivot who himself is one of the best around. Ford has suffered an even tougher time of it following an Achilles rupture in the Premiership showpiece event last year, but he is gradually approaching his best.
The Sharks man has shone towards the end of the campaign, playing a big role in his side securing a first home semi-final in 17 years. If Ford can continue that form and perhaps guide Sale to domestic success then he may find himself in with a shot of claiming the England fly-half jersey. Red Rose boss Borthwick is a big fan having coached him at the Tigers and will almost certainly name him in his World Cup squad.
Prediction
Head very much says Sale, given their impressive campaign to date and the power they have in the back five of the scrum, but there is a nagging doubt that Leicester will catch the hosts by surprise. The Tigers have found their form over the second half of the campaign and inevitably have the self-confidence following their title win last year. However, we just feel Sanderson’s men will have slightly too much for the visitors on Sunday. Sale Sharks by five points.
Previous results
2022: Sale won 40-5 at AJ Bell Stadium
2022: Sale won 26-16 at Welford Road
2022: Sale won 25-19 at AJ Bell Stadium
2022: Sale won 35-26 at AJ Bell Stadium
2021: Leicester won 32-23 at Welford Road
2021: Leicester won 19-11 at Welford Road
2021: Sale won 26-10 at AJ Bell Stadium
2020: Sale won 25-15 at Welford Road
2013: Sale won 40-31 at Welford Road
The teams
Sale Sharks: 15 Joe Carpenter, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Rob du Preez, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Arron Reed, 10 George Ford, 9 Gus Warr, 8 Jono Ross, 7 Ben Curry (c), 6 Tom Curry, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Jean-Luc du Preez, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Simon McIntyre
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Josh Beaumont, 20 Dan du Preez, 21 Raffi Quirke, 22 Sam James, 23 Tom O’Flaherty
Leicester: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Matt Scott, 12 Dan Kelly, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Hanro Liebenberg, 5 Cameron Henderson, 4 George Martin, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Julián Montoya (c), 1 Tom West
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 James Cronin, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Olly Cracknell, 21 Jack van Poortvliet, 22 Jimmy Gopperth, 23 Guy Porter
Date: Sunday, May 14
Venue: AJ Bell Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce, Jack Makepeace
TMO: Tom Foley
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