Sale Sharks make the trip to the StoneX Stadium this weekend knowing they’ll be walking into a cauldron. Saracens, stung by their first defeat of the Prem Rugby season at the hands of London rivals Harlequins, are expected to come out firing.
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Both sides sit on two wins and one loss heading into Round Four, with Saracens in third and Sale just behind in fourth — and there’s no mistaking the respect between them.
Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson, who knows the North London club inside out after his years there as a coach and player, is under no illusions about what awaits his side on Saturday.
“I think they’ll be ferociously intense,” Sanderson said. “I think there’ll be a real physical response — especially on the gain line and through the set piece, which came under a bit of pressure last weekend.
“They’ll want to match us physically, and they’ll look to win that kind of game. Neither side wants to go backwards. We’re both front-foot teams in terms of our aggressive defence and big ball-carriers, so it’s going to be a real battle in that quarter.
That physicality was on full display last weekend as Sale dismantled the Newcastle Red Bulls 57–5 at the Corpacq Stadium. It was a statement win that showed the Sharks’ attacking bite and set-piece dominance — but Sanderson knows Saracens represent “a massive step up.”
“Saracens were the in-form team before last weekend — highly progressive, clinical — and that was without the likes of Ben Earl, Jamie George, Maro Itoje,” he said. “It’s a huge challenge. Our styles are similar in many ways — both about winning rugby, smart rugby.
“Faz (Owen Farrell) and Fergus Burke at 10–12 look like they’ve played together all their lives. The ball’s moving through Burke’s hands earlier, he’s acting as that second receiver — a bit like Ford and Rob (du Preez) for us.
“They’ve got real quality throughout, and you can see Faz’s return has lifted them back to their best. That’s what we’re expecting — Saracens back at full intensity.”
Sanderson’s preparations this week have been shaped not just by tactics, but by personnel. Injuries continue to affect the Sharks’ back-row options, with both Curry twins at different stages of recovery.
“Ben Curry had his operation last week. He won’t feature for us in the next few weeks — it’s quite a big scar, but that’s all it is,” Sanderson explained. “They haven’t touched the muscle; they just separated it slightly and took the suture out.
“It was a successful operation, exactly what they wanted to do. Now it’s just about the flesh healing. It could be three or four weeks, maybe five or six, depending on how it settles.
“Tom Curry is as he was a couple of weeks ago — he’s returned to contact now, doing some of that work with us before joining up with England camp to continue the process. He should be available at some point during the autumn.”
The absence of the Curry brothers continues to open opportunities for others, and Sanderson was quick to praise his depth after last week’s performance.
“Raffi Quirke is up for selection — his hip pointer’s cleared up and he looks good. I was really impressed with Tristan Woodman last week — he put himself about. Dougie (Sam Dugdale) continues to be the unsung hero — he tops all the stats every week and is remarkable in his work ethic.
“We’ve got a few coming back in contention, so there’ll be some good selection calls to make.”
Away from the immediate challenge of Saracens, Sanderson also addressed the news that long-serving centre Rob du Preez will join Bayonne at the end of the season.
“It’s the right move for him, and he’s been brilliant throughout,” Sanderson said. “I’m gutted he’s going — I’d love him to stay — but there’s no way we could match that deal."
Recruitment work is already underway to fill that gap, but for now the focus is squarely on Saturday’s collision at StoneX — a clash of two sides built on power, precision, and pride.
“We’ve talked about two or three key things, but for me the game will be won or lost in proactive transition — what we do with and without the ball when the game flips,” Sanderson concluded. “If you feed Saracens loose ball in the middle of the park, they’ll punish you.
“We’ve got to dominate collisions, manage transitions, and control the flow of the game. Win the majority of those moments, and we’ll give ourselves a real chance.”
