European Cup News

Sale currently sit at the top of their pool table, on a maximum, 10 points, in the European Challenge Cup, having won away to Petrarca 53-14. Tries came from Cueto (2), Lamont (2), Faure, Schofield, Day and Tait and Lee Thomas kicked five conversions and a penalty.

Sale FC loss

Sale FC lost away to Widnes in the RFU Cup on Saturday, 17-12, and will be hoping to win on Saturday 24th at Heywood Road againt visitors Ruskin Park.

SSSC Quiz Night!

Hi Sharks Season Ticket Holder,

SSSC Quiz Night!

Sale Sharks Supporters Club are holding a Quiz Night plus Q & A with Robbie Dickson on Tuesday 27^th November at Edgeley Park. The fun kicks off at 7.30pm.

Come down with a team of people (max 6 per team) or just bring yourself and we can put you in a team on the night! Players will be in attendance, with at least one player joining each team. Prizes include a signed shirt, crate of beer and other prizes. There will also be chance to relax and enjoy tales from Sale’s legendary Robbie Dickson!

Entry is free for SSSC members, £2 for non-members.

For further details, keep an eye on the SSSSC website www.salesupporters.co.uk or the Sportnetwork Message Board at www.salerugby.co.uk or e-mail social@salesupporters.co.uk

Kind regards

Rugby roundup

A mixed bag of results over the long weekend for Sale fans.

It all kicked off with a ridiculously early Thursday Game for the Sharks against Montpellier, in which they struggled with a heavy wind for 40 minutes and then spent the rest of the game destroying their visitors - tries from Hodgson, Chabal, Hanley, Mayor and two from Wigglesworth (and a "try that never was" from Foden). Bang! A bonus point victory on the road to a European Cup. 49-6

Sale FC had a harder time of it though, away to Wilmslow, where they lost their match 21-8.

Monday night saw the Jets fly off to Northampton, where they got a hard time on the pitch too, losing 32-10 despite a try after just two minutes from flying winger Selorm Kuadey.


More wins please.

FAO Bayonne Travellers

FAO Bayonne Travellers

Coach Travel

Fao those of you staying in Biarritz for our game against Bayonne in December, the SSSC, in conjunction with the wonderful people at AUPA BO, has arranged coach travel to and from Biarritz for the game. The coach will leave Bar Kirola in Biarritz at approximately 5 pm, returning approximately 1 hour after the game ends. Cost is £6 per person for the return journey.

If you wish to travel by coach you MUST send your cheque to Travel Organiser, SSSC, c/o Edgeley Park, Hardcastle Road, Stockport, SK3 9DD to arrive no later than 16/11/2007. Priority will be given to SSSC members and those travelling in their party. Please put your membership number on the reverse of your cheque. There is also a Paypal link for those of you who wish to pay by this method.

Entertainment

The proprietor of Bar Kirola will be laying on free Tapas for all Sale Sharks supporters on the Friday evening. You will be joined by members of AUPA BO who will then guide you on a short pub crawl around some of the best venues in Biarritz.

Tickets

The SSSC are arranging advanced purchase of tickets to the game through the kind assistance of Simon Carruthers of AUPA BO London. We don’t know the price of these yet but expectation is around £20. As soon as we have details we will get the information to you. In order to manage the logistics of this, we will be limiting this strictly to SSSC members and their travelling party only. To take part in this scheme you must also be able to collect your tickets from Bar Kirola either on the Friday night or before the coach leaves for the game. If you would like to guarantee your tickets in advance please email secretary@salesupporters.co.uk as soon as possible so we know how many tickets to book. We will contact you to arrange payment as soon as we have final details – we MUST have payment in advance.

We hope you have a great time amongst some of the friendliest people in France! More details as soon as we have them so watch this space.

EDF Cup - win!

Sale worked a fine win on Friday night at Edgeley Park in the EDF cup against visitors Bath. Chris Bell scored the Sharks only try of the match, and Charlie Hodgson kicked all of the remaining Sharks poinst. Score: 25-10

Tem news for Sharks V Bath

Philippe Saint-Andre has named his side for tomorrow evenings EDF Energy Cup clash with Bath. Well, he almost has, but seems to be reserving judgement on fly half.

Sharks:
15 Ben Foden, 14 Julien Laharrague, 13 Chris Mayor, 12 Chris Bell, 11 Steve Hanley, 10 Charlie Hodgson or Lee Thomas, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 1 Andrew Sheridan, 2 Scott Lawson, 3 Stuart Turner, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe (C), 5 Chris Day, 6 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 7 Michael Hills, 8 Sebastien Chabal
Replacements: Sebastien Bruno, Benoit Bourrust, Sean Cox, David Tait, Sililo Martens, Lee Thomas/Charlie Hodgson, Oriol Ripol
Standby Players : Will Cliff, Ben Evans

This being Sale Sharks, team news came also with a raft of injuries:
knee injuries were announced to Magnus Lund, Chris Jones and Jason White, also injured are Dean Schofield (ankle), Rory Lamont (ankle) and Mark Cueto (calf).

Bath have named a tasty looking side too:
15 Michael Stephenson, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Alex Crockett, 12 Tom Cheeseman, 11 Ian Davey, 10 Shaun Berne, 9 Nick Walshe, 8 Zak Feaunati, 7 James Scaysbrook, 6 Jonny Faamatuainu, 5 Martin Purdy, 4 Steve Borthwick (c), 3 Lorne Ward, 2 Rob Hawkins, 1 David Flatman.
Replacements: 16 Lee Mears, 17 Laurence Ovens, 18 Andy Beattie, 19 Chris Goodman, 20 Mike Baxter, 21 Jack Cuthbert, 22 Nick Abendanon.

Weekend round up

Well Sale Sharks came back from Cardiff thoroughly beaten. They lost 15-32, but were never really in the match. The tries came from Rory Lamont and Lee Thomas, and Charlie Hodgson kicked the rest of their points. This was the first pool match in the AngloWelsh Cup, and has meant that qualification for the tournament will be a struggle. Others in the Sharks group are Bath (playing at Edgeley on Friday coming) and Leicester. Still, only one game down, and all to play for.

Phillipe Saint Andre has already announced that Friday will feature some big names returning: Chabal, Cueto, Sheridan. Great. Cue loads of awful headline puns about Sharks in the Bath.

Sale FC first XV lost away to Wirral, 10-20 in an unfortunate game. They now lie seventh in the table, Played seven won three. Time to get behind the lads! Come on Saaaale!

Last night saw Premiership A league action return to Heywood road, and the Sale Jets were comprehensively out played by the visting Worcester Warriors. The Warriors won the game 15-34, but that said, Sale nevertheless showed great spirit to fight back in the second half, having lost the first half 0-22. Jets tries came from Fessia, Garner and Waywell.

Sale FC win

Sale FC romped to a 33-13 victory over Anselmians on Saturday at Heywood Road.

Victory!

Sharks v Saracens.

The first half of this match was a tense affair, and looked to be going entirely Saracens way, but a last minute try worled superbly by Lund, who thenm selflessley passed the ball to Richard Wigglesworth for the score. The second half saw a magnificent fight from both sides.
Hodgson's boot and three more tries, from thomas, foden and new boy lamont took sharks to a 34 to 30 win. Go sale!

--
Ben Stebbing

Teams up for Sale v Saracens

Both teams have been announced for Friday night's GP encounter between Saracens and the Sharks. Sharks returning Scotsmen Rory Lamont and Scott Lawson make their first appearances in front of the Edgeley Faithful. Sharks could really do with a win here; get down to Stockport and shout! Tickets are still available.

Sharks:
Ben Foden, Rory Lamont, Rudi Keil, Lee Thomas, Oriol Ripol, Charlie Hodgson, Richard Wigglesworth, Lionel Faure, Neil Briggs, Ben Evans, Dean Schofield, Sean Cox, Chris Jones, Magnus Lund, Nathan Bonner Evans
Replacements: Scott Lawson, Stuart Turner, Chris Day, David Tait, Sililo Martens, Elvis Seveali’I, Chris Mayor
Standby players:Michael Hills, Steve Hanley & Julien Laharrague

Saracens:
Haughton, Thrower, Sorrell, Powell, Penney, Jackson, de Kock, Yates, Cairns, Johnston, Fullarton, Chesney, Matadigo, Seymour, Skirving
Bench: Ongaro, Mercey, Ryder, Barrell, Dickens, Ross, Cato

Gloucester win 31-12

Despite the first half score of 12-12, with Sale scoring two tries, the Sharks could not manage to stay in the game for the second half. Gloucester finished the game on top, and maintained their place at the top of the Premiership table 31-12. Sharks points came from a Benoit Bourrust try, an Oriol Ripol try and a Hodgson conversion.

Sharks beat wasps

Sale scored all the points in tonight's match, winning it 16 to nil.
Superb displays from the pack, hodgson, foden and thomas.

--
Ben Stebbing

Teams for tonight

In an odd move Philippe Saint Andre has named Samoan beef cake Elvis Seviali'i on the wing for tonight's encounter with visiting Wasps while Ben Foden continues his apprenticeship at full back. The Sharks pack looks a mean unit, however the Wasps backs are a talented lot. It will not be pretty but Sale should win in these bleak World Cup days.

Sharks:
Ben Foden, Elvis Seveali’I, Rudi Keil, Lee Thomas, Oriol Ripol, Charlie Hodgson, Richard Wigglesworth, Lionel Faure, Neil Briggs, Stuart Turner, Dean Schofield (c), Sean Cox, Chris Jones, Magnus Lund, Nathan Bonner Evans
Benching: Marc Jones, Ben Evans, Chris Day, David Tait, Sililo Martens, Chris Bell, Chris Mayor

Wasps:
Danny Cipriani, David Doherty, Fraser Waters, Riki Flutey, Tom Voyce, Dave Walder, Eoin Reddan, Tim Payne, Joe Ward, Pat Barnard, Richard Birkett, George Skivington, Dan Leo, James Haskell, John Hart (c)
Bench: Rob Webber, Michael Holford, Tom Palmer, Hugo Ellis, Simon Amor, Rob Hoadley, Mark Van Gisbergen

Social event

The Sale Sharks Supporters Club has announced details of the next social event. It will be an evening with James Wade and the Jets (sounds like a 1960s popular beat combo). Full details and the option to buy tickets online are available on the SSSC website at http://www.salesupporters.co.uk/social.htm

And the best news of all? Its at Heywood Road, so you can support you local, grass roots team at the same time as the Edgeley Park massive.

World cup Sharks

The most inspiring Sharks out in the fields of France have surely been the Argentine Lobbe brothers, who have seen their team's international ranking rise to 4th in the world. They are also in the knock out stages of the World Cup for the first time, and have a (relatively) easy quarter final.

They stand to face Scotland, containing another star of the tournament Rory Lamont, who will play for Sale when the Cup is over. The Scots team also includes Scott Lawson and, of course, Jason White.

Another quarter final withe great Sharks interest will be France v New Zealand - surely the most eagerly anticipated meeting of the lot. France will certainly see the worlds favourite rugby player Sebasiten Chabal take to the field. Sale team mate Bruno, however, seems out of favour, and might be lucky to get a bench spot.

New Sharks star signing Luke McAllister will be lining up at 12 for the All Blacks if recent selections are anything to go by.

The other Sharks in action will be playing for England: Andy Sherridan, Mark Cueto and Jason Robinson should all be picked to face South Africa, if fit.

Sharks notch up another away loss

The Sharks suffered a morale busting loss on the road to Bath this weekend. Charlie Hodgson scored a drop goal, a conversion and three penalties, but could not slot a last gasp drop goal to win the match. Oriol Ripol ran in for Sale's only try.

Sale 19 - 21 Bath.

The Sharks are currently eigth in the Guinness Premiership - one place above Wasps who visit this Friday.

Sale FC in action

Sale FC first XV lost at Heywood Road this weekend to Wigan, 11-20, however the second XV won away from home at Buxton 7-27.

Bristol

Following a poor performance away at Newcastle, the Sharks finally got back to their winning ways at Edgeley Park on Sunday. In rainy conditions the squad put in a dominant performance and were unlucky to score just the one try, an excellently worked piece ending in a little flick pass from Hidgson to Foden.

Overall a satisfying 20-6 win.

Newcastle away

The Premiership is upon us and lucky ticket holders get to see Englands two best fit fly halfs face each other this Sunday in Newcastle.

Lining up for Sale:
15 Ben Foden, 14 Chris Mayor, 13 Rudi Keil, 12 Lee Thomas, 11 Steve Hanley; 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Sililo Martens; 1 Lionel Faure, 2 Neil Briggs, 3 Ben Evans, 4 Dean Schofield (capt), 5 Sean Cox, 6 Magnus Lund, 7 Michael Hills, 8 Nathan Bonner-Evans
Bench: Mark Jones, Stuart Turner, Chris Day, Chris Jones, Richard Wigglesworth, Chris Bell, Oriol Ripol.


and for Newcastle:
15 Matthew Burke, 14 Tom May, 13 Mark Mayerhofler, 12 Joe Shaw, 11 John Rudd, 10 Toby Flood, 9 James Grindal, 1 Joe McDonnell, 2 Matt Thompson, 3 Micky Ward, 4 Andy Buist, 5 Mark Sorenson, 6 Geoff Parling, 7 Ben Woods, 8 Phil Dowson (capt)
Bench: Andy Long, David Wilson, Andy Perry, Brent Wilson, Lee Dickson, Steve Jones, Ollie Phillips.

Jets v Rotherham - 31 all draw

Last night saw a highly entertaining game of rugby played out at a respectably full Heywood Road.
Seven tries were scored in all, and the lead changed several times. The game ended dramatically when Sale scored a last gasp try, between the posts, and Rhys Jones capped off an excellent night by converting to bring the scores level.

Heywood Road

The Jets take on Rotherham this evening at Heywood Road, and coach Pete Anglesea has promised his side will be fully competitive. Expect to see a few big names on the pitch. Kick off is at 7pm, come along and support your local rugby club.

Update - team anncounced:

(From) Rob O'Donnell, Dan Birchall, Richard Kwasnicki, Benoit Bourrust, Stuart Eborall, James Gaskell, Tom Holmes, Garth Dew, Alex Waddingham, Alex Shaw, Chris Leck, Will Cliff, Rhys Jones, Chris Parrott, Andy Vilk, Timo Iosua, Jonny Kennedy, Mark Atkinson.

World cup sharks

Tonight's opener, France versus Argentina, will feature just one lone shark, Sebastien Chabal, sitting on the bench. There will be two further Sharks playing for Argentina; Lock Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe lines up with his brother Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe.

The rest of the weekend will feature many more:
England v USA will see Cueto, Sheridan and Robinsion play for England, and former Shark Mike "Billy Smart" Hercus as the USA captain
South Africa v Samoa will see Elvis Seviali'i on the bench
NZ v Italy will see Luke McAlister
Scotland Portugal will see Jason White
alas there are no Sharks in Ireland, Namibia, Japan, Wales or Canada.

Heywood Road this weekend

Quite apart from showing all the World Cup action on the big screen (why not come on down and help your local rugby club through the medium of drink?), Heywood road sees quality rugby action this weekend with the second xv playing Sefton. Kick off is at 3pm. The first team are away to Hoylake and the thirds away to Aldwinians.

Also - don't forget Sharks fans can see the Jets in action for the first time this year when they play Rotherham at Heywood Road on Monday night. Kick off is 7pm.

Challenge Cup dates announced

The dates, times and venues for the European Challenge Cup have been announced. Well, some of them at least. And only a few months late.

The first four rounds are:
Thursday 8th November 19-45 Montpellier Home
Saturday 17th November 15-00 Pardova Away
Saturday 8th December 19-00 Bayonne Away
Thursday 13th December 19-45 Bayonne Home


So we have the novelty of two Thursday night matches. Lets make the most of them eh?

Initial travel details are posted over on the official salesupporters.co.uk website.

Important Anncouncement

Following tonight's SSSC Committee meeting, the Committee has released the following statement:

"Due to ongoing concerns about her health Anne has decided to resign as Chairman and stand down as a member of the Sale Sharks Supporters Club Committee.

The SSSC Committee wish her a full and speedy recovery."

The weekend's action

Sale FC could not have had a better pair of opening home matches this weekend, with the first xv winning 40-7 against Winnington Park, and the second xv 71-0 against Duckinfield. The thirds played away and lost 14-5 to Stockport.

On the friday night Sale Sharks put two teams onto the picth at Edgeley in an inter squad warmup, leaving Kingsley Jones and Phillpe Saint-Andre with a lot to think about when planning who should play when the Premiershp opens in two weeks time.

On the international circuit - congratulations to Sebastien Chabal who has made the bench for next friday's World Cup opener. France v Argentina should be an explosive match, and it might just be one of the biggest upsets too if the huge Argentines make the step up.

Middlesex sevens

The Sharks/Jets team which travelled to Twickenham this weekend put in a fine performance, but were eventually knocked out by Lndon Irish in the quarter finals.

Sale beat Bayonne

The touring Sharks left Bayonne victorious, following a 22-17 win. Sharks scores came mostly from the boot of Charlie Hodgson, finally back in a sharks jersey. He scored five penalties, and his replacement Rhys Jones kicked a sixth. The only try came from Michael Hills.

Sharks in action

This weekend sees the Middlesex 7s tournament take place at Twickenham. As usual, Sale are sending a fresh-faced team. Coach for this tournament seems to be Pete Anglesea, so despite appearing as a Sharks team, most are Jets.

The squad is: Andy Vilk (Captain), Selorm Kuadey, Mike Waywell, Will Cliff, Garth Dew, Chris Leck, Chris Parrott, Timo Iosua, James Jones, Matt Riley, Glen Townson and Danny Birchall

Of course this weekend also sees many current international Sharks battling it out in pre-World Cup friendlies.

Those who remain with Philipe Saint Andre will be travelling to Bayonne for a friendly. Philipe has promised that Magnus Lund and Charlie Hodgson are touring. No doubt this will be a development game where all 29 touring players will get some game time ahead of the first home match, on the 24th.

Best of luck to all concerned.

England RWC Squad

Brian Ashton just announced his world cup squad, and it features three Sharks: Jason Robinson, Mark Cueto and Andrew Sheridan. Congratulations to all three.

World cup Sharks

In the England camp there are mixed fortunes for Sharks players, with Andy Sheridan being one of the few players in the squad who can confidently predict he will be going to France. Departing hero Jason Robinson too can be assured a place in the squad.

Cueto embarrassingly pulled a muscle in the warm-up against Wales and may not make the final cut. Things look unpromising too for Charlie Hodgson, with Olly Barkley having let slip some unfortunate comments in a press conference this week, to the effect that he will be sorry to see Charlie go. Sale fans, to a man, have be saying that England’s loss is our gain. We all fee desperately sorry for the man, who has spent the best part of a year recovering from an injury sustained on England duty.

There have been plenty of injuries in the England camp, one of which has meant a late call up to the squad for Richard Wigglesworth, as cover for the third place scrum half role. Best of luck to him. Here's hoping he gets some game time.

In other teams Sebasitan Chabal has been slotted into the French team as their mascot/lock/number 8, and will doubtless be a star of the tournament. The English fans love him, the NZ fans love him - we just need Laporte to start picking him. At number 8 for a change!
Jason White, in contrast to Hodgson, has recovered from his knee injury and slotted firmly back in place as Scotland captain. He will be playing alongside our Lamont and Lawson.

For Argentina the imperious Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and his big brother Ignacio will make a powerful difference.

Samoa, set to play the Sharks on the 24th and England in the pool stages of the cup, will feature our very own Elvis Seviali'i.

Finally, of course, New Zealand's back line will, we hope, be lit up by new signing Luke McAlister.

The Season Starts Now!

Following a long quiet summer new came in over night that Sale have signed top flight All Black 10 Luke McAlister.

"Luke is one of the best young players in world rugby, and can play either 10, 12 or 13," said Sharks rugby director Philippe Saint-Andre.

"With Charlie Hodgson and Luke in the side, we have two fantastic playmakers, and his signing is exactly the signing I have been trying to make to help us become a dominant force in northern hemisphere rugby.

"It is great news for the supporters, who are only too well aware that our chances of competing for honours last season were badly hit when Charlie was injured.

"With Luke's signing, he can cover for Charlie when he is on England duty."

This is fantastic news for all Sale Supporters and add to the report of other signings which has been on salesupporters.co.uk for a while:

Next season Sale Supporters will be seeing a slightly different squd lining up, and there can be no doubt that favourites such as Andy Titterell and Barry Stewart will be sorley missed. Jason Robinson will be irreplaceable. The SSSC would like to extend a fond farewell to all the departing Sharks: Mark Taylor, Daniel Larrechea, Jason Robinson, Barry Stewart, Andy Titterell.

However, just as what goes up must come down, so those departures mean there will be some new Sharks: Julien Laharrague has extended his three month stay to a full contract for next year; and Scott Lawson and Rory Lamont join us. Two more recent signings are Rudi Keil, the South African Centre, and Benoit Bourrust, the French Prop Forward.

Back too are the European Challenge Cup and the World Cup, which will mean a host of Sharks will travel throughout Europe.

The Management at Edgeley Park are taking a closer interest in the SSSC, and in supporters in general and we feel that next season will be a much more pleasant experience for all concerned.

The season kicks off in just a few weeks now with a friendly against Manu Samoa, then the season proper and the world cup. At some point in October all of our international stars shoudl start to return from France.

Major announcement from Sharks HQ

This just in from Sharks PR:

Jason Robinson has today announced that he will retire from playing club rugby at the end of the current season. He will, if selected play for England during the summer and in the World Cup in France before calling it a day completely. He will play his last game for Sale Sharks at home to Bath a week on Friday the 13th April. Jason said, “ I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sale Sharks but the time has come to move on to other things. I want my last game for Sale Sharks to be a home game (v Bath) and want to be able to say a big thank you to the supporters of this great club.”

New Arrivals (part one)

News just in from Edgeley Park :

Sale Sharks are delighted to announce the signings of Rory Lamont and Scott Lawson.
Both Rory (24) and Scott (25) are joining Sale Sharks from Glasgow and have both signed two year deals with the club.
Director of Rugby Philippe Saint Andre said, “Both these players will be excellent additions to my squad for the next two years at least. Rory is a proven try scoring wing and Scott is an exciting young hooker. We will be announcing more signings in the coming weeks as we strive to get back to challenging at the top of the Guinness Premiership.”

That's Entertainment!

Alas, Sale Sharks are out of the EDF Cup following a 19-29 defeat to Leicester at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. However, all is not lost. For starters the Tigers visit Edgeley Park on April 6th for a re-match.

Furthermore, there are two forthcoming occasions when Sale Supporters can get together and share their passion for Sharks, food and drink.

Firstly the SSSC French Night: Tuesday 3rd April, 7.30 pm in the Sapphire Suite, Edgeley Park

Enjoy French food, French wine and the company of Philippe St Andre, Sebastien Chabal, Sebastien Bruno, Lionel Faure, Julien Laharrague, Pierre Gaona and Oriol Ripol. Admission (including food and wine) is £5. Children are welcome and will be admitted free if not eating.

The Question and Answer session will be followed by a short quiz on matters French and you will also have the chance to win a French rugby shirt signed by our guests.

Secondly the Gala Dinner:
Tuesday 24th April, 7.30 pm for 8 pm - Insider Suite, Edgeley Park.

Our special guest for the evening is ex-Sale and England star turned Sky Sports commentator, Dewi Morris who will present the winners of this year's Supporters Awards with their prizes. Price for 3 course meal is £27.50 per person. Dress: Smart casual.

You can purchase tickets for either or both from the Sale Supporters website using PayPal. Just click your mouse here.

Northampton

Well, the Sharks didn't lose away to the Saints at least, the game ending 18 all and keeping Sale out of the relegation battle for now.

There is another excellent article in the Sale and Altrincham Messenger here ...

Enjoy.

Missing supporters?

Following on from the weekend - another weekend in which the Sharks failed not only to win, but even to score a try - The Messenger Newspaper carries this excellent article form a Sale Supporter.

Defeat to Saracens

The Sharks suffered another cruel blow in their Premiership campaign over the weekend when they lost to Saracens by 9 to 22. Conditions were poor, as was the pitch, and the Sharks went home feeling very low. We need every Sale supporter in full and fine voice on Friday night to cheer them on!

Rumours ... signings ...

In the midst of the gloom of Sale's recent results Sale Supporters are looking for hope wherever they can find it. Rumours abound of new, big money signings. Gavin Henson? An All Black? Worries also surround certain key players with little time left on their contracts. Fairly certain to be joining the squad are Scots Rory Lamont and Scott Lawson. Fairly certain to be leaving are Mark Taylor and Andy Titterell.

With so many names being bandies about it was shock news when the Sharks announced a huge name as a bolt from the blue: France fullback and winger Julien Laharrague. He will be joinin the squad with immediate effect until the end of the season, and has the option to then extend for a year or more.

What chance that he will today be named in Sunday's team?

Premiership team news

Sale Sharks have announced the team to face Wasps away on Sunday 18th Feb:

15: Jason Robinson (Captain)
14: Mark Cueto
13: Mark Taylor
12: Chris Mayor
11: Ben Foden
10: Rhys Jones
9: Richard Wigglesworth

1: Eifion Roberts
2: Andy Titterrell
3: Stuart Turner
4: Dean Schofield
5: Chris Day
6: Chris Jones
7: Magnus Lund
8: Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe
Replacements: Sebastien Bruno, Ben Evans/Andrew Sheridan, Sebastien Chabal, David Tait, Sean Cox, Chris Bell, Oriol Ripol
Also travelling: Barry Stewart, Andrew Vilk and David Blair


Amid all the hoo hah over the selection of international players it is easy to pass over significant news such as the return of Cueto and the hint of a return for Sheridan.

Sharks sources have also said that the return to action of Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe and Elvis Seveali'I is imminent. Perhaps the season is salvageable.

Challenge Churchill!

The Sale Sharks official site carries exciting news ....

The Churchill Cup, staged in England for the first time, opens with a match at Edgeley Park. With several Sharks in the England Saxons squad Sale supporters should be in for a treat.

The official press release includes the following:

The tournament, being staged in England for the first time, will kick off on Friday 18th May at Sale Sharks' home ground, Edgeley Park, in Stockport. The club will host a preview of the Rugby World Cup match later in the year as the England Saxons take on the US Eagles who England face in France on 8th September. Nathan Bombrys, Commercial Manager, of Sale Sharks said, "We are very excited to be hosting the opening match of the 2007 Barclay’s Churchill Cup. The presence of England, featuring so many world class players, provides both England and Sale Sharks with an excellent opportunity to reach a new audience of sports fans across the Northwest.

“The fact that the match will be played against the US Eagles, England’s first opposition, will also add weight to the fixture as we expect that rugby supporters across the Northwest will be keen to get a sneak preview of the World Champions' first opponents.”

Back in action

Sale Sharks may have to wait a few weeks to see the benefit, but winger Mark Cueto is back from injury this weekend. Friday night sees him lining up for the England Saxons at Ravenhill. Best of luck from salesupporters.co.uk Mark!

Stockport Vistitor Guide

Some months ago the SSSC committee were invited to attend the Council's Tourism and Leisure Partnership meetings. As a result of the relationships we have developed there is now a Sale Sharks display in the Stockport Tourist Office (well worth a visit if you haven't been there before), Chris Jones joined other local heroes to take part in a photo shoot to publicise the new Stockport Mug which will be available soon, and a lot of kids in Matale have received gifts donated by locals and shipped to them with money donated by Sale Sharks Supporters. There are also plans to take Sharky and some of the players to the Tourist Office.

Last Friday night the Tourism Partnership launched their new visitor's guide to Stockport called "A taste of Stockport"- as a resident of the borough for 20 years I was amazed to discover how little I knew. The guide includes information on Sale Sharks. The best bit though - a picture of Jason Robinson, rugby ball tucked under his arm, on the front cover!

It may be just a small step but it would be good to think it was Stockport's first step towards becoming a rugby town.

Are you blind, Ref?

Another chance to enjoy the company of premiership referee David Rose.

David's visit last year was probably our most popular event. Not only does he know his stuff, he sets a very mean quiz and he is extremely entertaining.

This is one you really don't want to miss.

Tuesday 20th February, 7.30 pm, Heywood Road

Remember, you don't have to be a member to come along - admission is free - but we'll probably try to whip a few quid off you for the raffle. Children are also welcome.

Coach Confusion

Please be aware the club will also running coaches to Cardiff. If you book your coach travel through the ticket office you will be on one of the club coaches - not the funbus!

If you wish to travel on the funbus you must book either by emailing travel AT salesupporters DOT co DOT uk or you can ring me on 07702 911264.

You can also pay online at www.salesupporters.co.uk

Does it matter which coach you are on? You will not be able to take or drink alcohol on the club coaches. The fare on the official coach is £25 per person. Pick up point Edgeley Park.

Funbus ~ you will be allowed to drink. Our prices have remained the same for this trip - £20 members, £10 Juniors, £30 non-members. We will also have a series of pick up points along the way including Heywood Road, Sandbach Services and others if possible.

This information is just to avoid the situation we've had previously where people have realised at the last minute they have booked a club coach by mistake and then requested refunds in order to book the funbus.........

If you've already booked your Cardiff coach through us we will have your details - this only applies if you have recently booked through the ticket office, or if the ticket office ask if you would like to book a place on the coach.

If in doubt - call me.

Niels de Vos to leave Sale Sharks

Following the announcement that Niels de Vos, Chief Executive of Sale Sharks, is take up the role of Chief Executive of UK Athletics in May:

The Committee of the SSSC would like to say a very special thank you to Niels de Vos for the support he has given us since our inception. He has always made himself available to us, the door to his office was always open, he always listened to our concerns and always had the best interests of the supporters at heart. He shared our belief that the supporters are the core of the club.

When Narbonne made a last minute change to the game date, Niels not only allowed me to harangue him unmercifully for an entire day without complaint, but managed to persuade Narbonne to revert to the original date to the relief of the travelling support. As soon as he became aware of our concerns about Munster tickets he acted to ensure everyone who had already booked travel was guaranteed a ticket to the game. Even at the worst of times Niels was always prepared to attend Q&A sessions with us and face the difficult questions supporters put to him. Often the help he gave us was "behind the scenes" and so remains unacknowledged.

We owe him a debt of gratitude not only for what he has done, but for what he has enabled us to do.

We wish him well in his new appointment and we look forward to working with his successor who we very much hope will share his belief in the importance of working closely with the supporters.

Good luck, Niels.

Team to play Gloucester

The Sharks team to play Gloucester has been announced. Selection, it seems, was easy; pick every fit and available player.

Rhys Jones, Chris Bell, Chris Mayor, Mark Taylor, Oriol Ripol, Richard Wigglesworth, Ben Foden, Eifion Roberts, Andy Titterrell, Barry Stewart, Dean Schofield, Chris Day, Chris Jones, Michael Hills, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe

Replacements: Sebastien Bruno, Stuart Turner, Ben Evans, David Tait/Sebastien Chabal, Andrew Vilk, Matt Riley, Jon Bryant/Selorm Kuadey

International Sharks

With the Six nations looming Sale Sharks players feature in a number of international sqauds.

Brian Ashton looks set to pick Magnus Lund as openside flanker when he names his England Squad on monday. Jason Robinson, previously ruled out becasue of injury, seems a more likely bet as each day passes.

Five Sale players feature in the Saxons Squad: Richard Wigglesworth, Chris Jones, Andy Titterell, Stuart Turner and Dean Schofield.

Andy Vilk and Michael Hills have been picked for the new look England Sevens squad.

Also sure to feature will be any or all of Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (whose brother looks set for a return to the Sharks jersey following injury), and the French powerhouses Sebastien Bruno and Sebastien Chabal.

A rose by another name?

The current buzz words coming out of RFU headquarters are "central management". In return for a reported £5-£6 million pounds the England management will take control of the elite players for almost half the season, and for the other half they will still be able to dictate when and where they play. There is also the suggestion of a financial reward for teams which field a greater percentage of England qualified players.

What will this do for the premiership? The salary cap will be raised and without the responsibility for the salaries of top players, clubs should have more money to spend bringing in players. They could choose to bring in quality players from overseas (Dan Carter anyone?)which would maintain or indeed raise the standard of the rugby we watch but would be expensive. Or they could concentrate on young England qualified players who would cost less in terms of salary and at the same time earn bonus payments from the RFU. But wait, aren't these the same young players we can watch in the A League already? And for a lot less money?

If the clubs take this route how will they persuade supporters to pay the same price to watch what might be largely a youth team? How many supporters will be lost when the big names are absent for so long? This plan may be good for England, financially it may even be good for the clubs but will it be good for the supporters. As a friend said today "I don't come to watch the balance sheet, I come to watch the best players".

Sharks Shorts

Sale Sharks took pre-emptive action today and banned Daniel Larrechea for 3 weeks. Larry has been cited following our game against Neath Swansea Ospreys last Saturday which saw several Sharks players, including Sebastien Chabal, appear to vent their frustration over the perceived failure of referee Alain Roland to adequately control the game. The players were not alone in their anger and frustration, supporters were left confused and dismayed by many refereeing decisions during the game.

Although the action is suspending Larry causes selection headaches for our away game against Gloucester this Saturday, our consolation is Larry will get a much needed rest and time for any niggling injuries to heal.

Injuries: As reported Lionel Faure will be out for 8 weeks following a medial ligament injury sustained during the game against Ospreys, however reports of serious injury to Sebastien Chabal appear to have been exaggerated though he is struggling with a sore arm and hip. Ben Foden is also reported to have a swollen hand.

Kingsley Jones said in the Stockport Express: "We are used to it now, we are over the worst and I am looking forward to going to my old club Gloucester. We beat them two weeks ago after a very bad start to the game, so there is everything to play for.

"The spirit shown by the players gets us through, but Kingsholm is not a venue where you can start poorly."

If ever the team needed a 16th Man the time is now. If you're going to Gloucester on Saturday, make sure your voice is heard!

Heineken cup shakedown

The group stages are all over, and there is no room for the Sharks.

Salesupporters.co.uk has a match report on the Ospreys game ...

Other interesting points from the Cup: The French are out of it next year for sure, and I cant see England staying put either, Who would want to win such a devalued competition?

Also, I cant help but think Sale dont need the Quarter finals right nbow. Further doubts over the fitness of Mark Cueto (claims himself that he wont make the England Squad v Scotland) and Jason Robinson (failed to make the bench against Ospreys having failed a fitness test).

There are also nasty rumours afoot about thet state of Sebastien Chabal's arm and Lionel Faures leg .... this pundit woudl place money on one of them being out for a month or two.

However, all said and done the team played a blinding game, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Ben Foden being the stars, and they can look forward to regaining some Premiership form.

Wounded Sharks

The Times has an interesting article today about the Sale Sharks injury list. Click here for the full story ....

The injury list

Nathan Bonner-Evans (No 8), knee; John Bryant (centre), calf; John Carter (flanker), shoulder; Mark Cueto (wing), calf; Ignacio Fernández Lobbe (lock), hamstring; Charlie Hodgson (fly half, pictured), knee; Sililo Martens (scrum half), shoulder; Elvis Seveali’i (centre), shoulder; Andrew Sheridan (prop), ankle; Lee Thomas (centre), arm; Jason White (flanker), knee

Injured this season

Chris Bell (centre), thumb; David Blair (fly half), back; Sébastien Bruno (hooker), spine; Chris Day (lock), knee; Lionel Fauré (prop), leg; Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (flanker), chest; Eifion Roberts (prop), knee; Dean Schofield (lock), shoulder; David Tait (back row), leg; Andy Titterrell (hooker), neck

Heineken Cup final round

This weekend sees the final round of the group stages of the Heienken Cup, and it is still all to play for. Many thought that by losing their opening game away to the Ospreys, the Sharks had effectively ruined their Cup hopes. A mile long injury list since that point has not helped confidence in the Sale faithful, however, the picture is not so bleak as perhaps it looks.

Stade will win the group, short of a miracle. But Sale or Ospreys could easily qualify with 20 points. The game on Saturday will be quite a bruiser then - both sides needing the win and four tries. Sale will be keen to build on recent form, and will be even more keen to teach the Ospreys a lesson. After their narrow victory at home in Wales there was much crowing. Lets see how Edgeley reacts.

Sale's Fly Half crisis deepens

Way back during the Autumn Internationals Sale Sharks lost Charlie Hodgson for the season to a knee injury.

Daniel Larrechea took over the number 10 shirt, though his was a troubled stint. Having played at 15 for a couple of years he found it hard to get up to speed.

Welsh centre Lee Thomas took over, but promptly broke his arm against Newcastle on Boxing Day.

David Blair took over to start this week's match against Gloucester, but a knee in the back has left him out of action for eight weeks. Larrechea took over the duties for a few minutes before running from the pitch, having vomited.

Sale are now left with Richard Wigglesworth as their only fly half.

Paris memories

SSSC News: Paris Memories
Sale Supporter Joe Williams goes in search of lost time with this report of the Heineken Cup away match against Stade Francais in Paris. Click here for the report ...

Victory at last

Sharks News: Sharks win in Edgeley thriller
Sale fought back from a 3-16 defecit against an impressive looking Gloucester team to win the match 20-19. There were stand-out performances from Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Andy Titterel, Sebasiten Bruno, Magnus Lund and Richard Wigglesworth. A full report will appear shortly on salesupporters.co.uk

Supporters Club Evening

SSSC News: Supporters Club Evening, January 16th, 2007
The Sale Sharks Supporters Club hosts an evening with Sale Sharks Chairman Niels de Vos on the 16th January. Click here for full details ...

Matale bucket collection

The Sale Sharks Supporters club recently organised a bucket collection in aid of Stockport schools' links with Matale, Sri Lanka. Supporters at December's match at Edgeley Park agaist Harlequins dug into their poockets and gave generously.

Click here to read more about where the money went ...