Sale Sharks, the 2006 English champions, slumped to the bottom of the Guinness Premiership for the first time on Saturday after a demoralising 15-7 loss at home to Northampton Saints.
Two points adrift of fellow strugglers Worcester Warriors, albeit with a game in hand, and a further two points behind Leeds Carnegie with seven games remaining, the Sharks now face the prospect of relegation from England’s top division.
And with eight straight defeats in all competitions, the worst run in their history, marking a dramatic fall from grace from the heady day at Twickenham four years ago when Jason Robinson lifted the Premiership trophy, it does beg the question; where have things gone wrong for Sale Sharks?
But after the departure of coach Philippe Saint-Andre at the end of last season and an exodus of the club’s top players in recent years, Sport.co.uk argues that they may only have themselves to blame.
More than an underperforming playing squad
Sale have one of the largest playing squads in the Premiership with 41 players, more than Wasps and Leicester, 18 of those names full internationals. So with the numbers and apparent quality at his disposal, Director of Rugby Kingsley Jones must shoulder some degree of responsibility for their poor form.
And this would certainly be the view of the fans that made the trip to Kingsholm last month to watch their side capitulate to a 47-3 defeat to Gloucester. To say that Jones and his players have not done the business this season would be a huge understatement.
But the answer to Sale’s problems may be a more deep seated problem than just an underperforming playing squad.
After Saturday’s loss to Northampton, a match where the Sharks could have grabbed a losing bonus point if Charlie Hodgson had not missed a late penalty, their owner Brian Kennedy pledged to keep funding the club if they are relegated.
“If the worst was to happen and we did go down, my commitment to the club would not change,” said Kennedy on the club website.
“If it did happen – and we don’t want to even think about such a possibility – we need to all get together and say ‘How can we deal with it?’. How did Northampton deal with it? How did Leeds deal with it? And how can we deal with it? And then we would move on and fight another day.”
Deficit in quality
Kennedy’s continuing support will be of some comfort to the Sharks’ fans but despite the owner’s influential role in building the club into what it is today, some fans are concerned with why so many key players have been allowed to leave Edgeley Park in the last few years.
In the seasons following their 2006 success, Sale have lost Sebastien Chabal, Sebastien Bruno, Jason White, both Fernandez Lobbe brothers, Andy Titterell and Magnus Lund from their forward ranks.
In the back line influential wingers Jason Robinson and Steve Hanley have retired, Ben Foden and Rory Lamont have moved on whilst star signing Luke McAlister has resumed his international aspirations and returned to New Zealand.
And while they have acquired the services of Ben Cohen, Dwayne Peel and Mathew Tait, there is still a deficit between the players that have left and the players brought in. Despite their large numbers, Sale’s squad lacks quality especially when Tait and Cueto are on international duty. While a long-term injury to Andrew Sheridan has also exposed the depth of talent in the squad.
Inexperience at the top
Away from the playing staff, the transition from Saint-Andre to Jones has not been as seamless as the club’s hierarchy would have hoped. Criticism has been directed at Jones claiming that he, like Andy Robinson for England after Clive Woodward’s successful reign, has been an outstanding second in command who is now struggling in the top seat.
And Jones’ relative inexperience at being the top man may not have been helped with the appointment of an even less experienced Jason Robinson as his head coach. Maybe the pair, like so many of Sale’s talented youngsters, need more time to find their feet at the top level.
“I’ve been here six years now. I’ve been at the top and it’s an easy place to be. But at the moment we’re at the bottom. It’s a big challenge for us and I’m not afraid to face up to that. We’ve got a game in hand that could take us up the table. We have to keep getting better,” said Jones after the defeat to Northampton.
“We are where we are and we have to stay positive, keep working hard and crack on with the next seven games we have left in this season.”
One positive for Sale is that they have a slight advantage in their run-in with four of their remaining fixtures at home. Rivals Leeds, Worcester and Newcastle will play the majority of their remaining fixtures on the road.
Lessons to be learnt
And there is no doubt that Kingsley Jones will be targeting home wins against fellow strugglers Worcester and Newcastle on April 2 and 23 respectively with the consequence of defeat in those games unthinkable for Sharks fans.
Plus, with the return of Tait and Cueto from Six Nations duty, the prospect of picking up crucial points at home to Saracens and away at Bath is not out of the question.
But if the Sharks do avoid relegation and maintain their Premiership status, the club’s directors, players and coaches will need to learn from their mistakes this season. The naivety of the club’s management to let so many key players leave without adequate replacements needs to be addressed.
Perhaps a more streamlined squad, with an emphasis on quality not quantity, is the answer along with the appointment of an experienced assistant coach to compliment Jones and Robinson in the same way that Jones backed up Saint-Andre.
And with recent news that the RFU requires Edgeley Park’s capacity to be increased by 1,800 in order to meet new Premiership guidelines, Brian Kennedy and the club’s directors could have a busy summer ahead of them.
Although before all the talk of plans for next season, Sale fans will just be hoping that the Sharks can rediscover their bite and stay afloat in the Premiership table.