YOU NEED strong shoulders when you are the Guinness Premiership champions. After that wonderful afternoon at Twickenham in May when Sale Sharks walloped Leicester and became the first team to win the Premiership final after being top of the league, the pressure will be weighing down upon us. Our season starts on September 3, against the same opponents and a trip to Welford Road is a very tough way to begin our defence of the title.
What a great atmosphere that was at Twickenham, with 20,000 supporters coming down from the North of England to cheer us on. It was the best day in our club’s 145-year history. I am proud of my team, not just for their results but for the way they have captured the imagination of supporters in an area of the country that is traditionally not that big on rugby union. There are lots of competitors — football, naturally, but also rugby league and cricket. So to keep attracting big crowds to Edgeley Park is a great achievement. Supporters help you to win matches and we have gained almost 1,000 extra members since the end of last season.
We also had a good season in the Heineken Cup last year, losing only to Munster and Biarritz, the two teams in the final. That was another indication of how important it is to play at home. For our quarter-final against Biarritz, we played in San Sebastián, with 30,000 Basques booing every time we touched the ball. The score was close, but on those 50-50 balls the home crowd can help you. It was a good learning experience for us, but it is time to close the book on last year. We need to be proud of what we achieved, but humble at the same time.
I have been involved with English rugby for seven years: five years as a player and coach at Gloucester and now I’m starting my third year as director of rugby at Sale. Each year my view grows stronger that the Premiership is the toughest league in world rugby. You need to be so consistent if you are to do well. Look at Newcastle Falcons: they won the Premiership in 1998 and have struggled to finish in the top six since.
There is a fine line between winning and losing. We struggled against Leeds Tykes last season, beating them away in the last minute and at home with two tries in injury time — and yet we came top and they were relegated. The difference between first place and last place can come down to what you do in the time between the referee putting the whistle to his mouth and when he blows it.
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So everybody will want our scalp, but we have a lot of top players and a young squad. We need to work in harmony, stay fit, stay focused and see how the season develops. If we are consistent, we can get into the top four. Ideally we would want to be in the top two because that would mean a home semi-final.
Last year we knew that we would be in the top two with three games to go. It meant that I could rest some of my players. It was also a great way for some younger players to force their way into my thoughts. Richard Wigglesworth, for instance, kept on impressing me and he played his best game in the final at scrum half.
Many people in England are still struggling to understand that the team who win the league is not crowned the champions. In England, the tradition in rugby, like football, is that the most consistent team over the season win the title. I had to stop the players from celebrating too much, saying: “OK guys, we’re top of the league but show me the silverware.”
Maybe it helps me to keep my feet on the ground because we have had a system of play-offs in French rugby for 100 years. When I played for Montferrand, we won the league but lost in the final to Toulouse.
I had a nice break over the summer, sunning myself on a Caribbean island, switching off from rugby and spending time with my family. I am feeling fresh and ready for a tough season and so are my players. Some of them went to Australia with England, where they did not have an easy time, but I feel that Magnus Lund and Chris Jones, in particular, will be stronger from the experiences.
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Over the break, we lost six players and brought in six more, including Andy Vilk, a wing from Northampton who has played for England at sevens, Lee Thomas, a Wales Under-21 back from Cardiff, and Chris Bell, the Leeds centre who was in England’s elite squad last year.
We have just got back from a bonding trip to France. I have been taking Sale on a summer tour to my homeland for the past three years. While we were there, we beat Biarritz, the French champions, 38-20, with Charlie Hodgson scoring two of our five tries. The season stretches out a long distance in front of us, but it is not a bad way to get going.