Sale Sharks players have agreed to take permanent pay cuts to help the club through the Covid-19 pandemic, a statement confirmed.
Sale Sharks statement:
In response to the recent announcement that the Premiership Rugby salary cap will be reduced, along with the ongoing discussions between Premiership Rugby clubs and their players, Sale Sharks would like to issue the following statement.
The club would like to show its full support of the unanimous decision by all thirteen clubs to reduce the salary cap ahead of the 2021/22 season.
This decision has been reached due to the financial impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and Sale Sharks is committed to a collaborative approach, alongside the other stakeholders of Premiership Rugby, to ensure the long-term future and financial sustainability of professional rugby in England.
The repercussions on the professional game could be catastrophic if a number of Premiership Rugby clubs can no longer operate.
In order to navigate through these challenging times, Sale Sharks have had to have some difficult discussions to ensure the future of the club for its supporters, players and staff and we are very pleased to say that all of our players and staff share the club’s vision and ambition of a sustainable future. We are delighted to announce that the club has reached agreement with every single player regarding amended terms to their contracts to facilitate this and that our squad will remain together for the next three or four years.
The club would also like to thank all our non-playing team including commercial, coaching and medical staff, as they also have agreed pay cuts. Every single person at Sale Sharks has accepted a reduction and is contributing to getting Sale Sharks through these difficult times.
We look forward to returning to action and completing the 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership season as soon as it is safe to do so.
Four Sale Sharks signings who were meant to be the business…but weren’t
Sale Sharks have occasionally suffered misfortune in the transfer market when it comes to exciting signings that ultimately proved disappointing.
We’ve gone from the inception of the Premiership in 1997/98 because, as you all know, that’s when club rugby ‘started’.
1. Mark Wilson
This loan move seemed to make perfect sense, but due to a number of factors it hasn't really worked out. Undergoing knee surgery immediately following the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Sharks fans didn't see him debut until a 30 minute cameo against Saracens in early February. Recalled by Eddie Jones for the Six Nations after making just one start for Sale, his loan expires on June 30. After that date, he is due to return to Newcastle and can no longer play for Sale if the season were to be extended into July.
2. Richie Gray
This signing had every Sale fan very excited with the Scottish powerhouse penning a three-year contract. However, never had such a big man, done so little. The giant Scot would only stay for one season, playing 16 underwhelming matches, scoring 1 try before joining French club Castres.
3. Josh Charnley
There was a lot of excitement when Charnley dumped rugby league, leaving Warrington, where he'd scored 42 tries in 57 games, to sign for Sale. However, the speedster was not able to repeat his scoring success in Rugby Union that he enjoyed in Rugby League, scoring a meagre four tries in 32 games. A disappointment.
4. Epeli Taione
Another winger who didn't live up to the hype. He joined from Newcastle on a two-year contract. however, his contract was cancelled when he was banned for 18 weeks for biting Denis Leamy in a Heineken Cup game against Munster. As a result, the powerhouse winger had his contract terminated after scoring zero tries in his five appearances.
