REVEALED: England international broke Sale boss Alex Sanderson's ribs

Rugby News

by Rugby Rucker

Saturday, 28 September 2024 at 20:49

byRugby Rucker

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Sale Sharks head coach Alex Sanderson sidelined after training ground collision with England's Tom Roebuck

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Sale Sharks have confirmed that head coach Alex Sanderson has sustained a rib injury following a collision with England winger Tom Roebuck during training this week.

The incident, which took place at the club’s Carrington training base, left Sanderson with several fractured ribs, placing the Sharks in the unusual position of having their head coach on the injury list.

Club physio Navdeep Sandhu was quick to note, however, that despite the collision, Roebuck “failed to make the gain line” against his boss.

“Alex got ran into by a player and to be fair, the player did not make the gain line, but Alex got a couple of rib fractures for his troubles so he will be top of the list on Monday morning.

“It was Tom Roebuck, he did not make the gain line.”

Richie McCaw’s all-time rugby dream team is something special

Captaining the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, from 2006 to 2015, McCaw led them to two Rugby World Cup victories.

Known for his exceptional leadership, tenacity, and skill, he remains an iconic figure in rugby, earning numerous accolades and leaving an indelible mark on the game.

Extracted from a series of interviews, here is our interpretation of how his dream team would be arranged.

RICHIE MCCAW DREAM TEAM:

BACK-THREE:

15. Christian Cullen (New Zeland)
14. Julian Savea (New Zealand)
11. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)

McCawon Lomu: “When I first became an All Black he was in the team. To play alongside a guy you have watched as a young fella was pretty amazing. He made me look silly in training more than once.

"He is one of the absolute superstars of rugby. If you go to somewhere where rugby is perhaps not well known then the one guy they do know is Jonah. It's really sad that he's passed away at age 40. He was a legend of the All Blacks and a legend of rugby."

CENTRES:

13. Ma'a Nonu (New Zealand)
12. Jonny Wilkinson (England)

McCaw on Wilkinson: "He'll go down as one of the greats of world rugby."

HALFBACKS:

10. Dan Carter (New Zealand)
9. Aaron Smith (New Zealand)

McCaw on Carter: "There are a lot of good players but the guys who did it for a long time and that I've been lucky to play with is Dan Carter. In the final, he was sensational and he's been great for a long time. So to be able to play with him for the years I've been playing was pretty cool."

FRONT-ROW:

1. Tony Woodcock (New Zealand)
2. Dane Coles (New Zealand)
3. Olo Brown (New Zealand)

McCaw on Woodcock: "If you're looking for a night out, stay away from Tony Woodcock or go and see Tony Woodcock. He's been on the same team as me since I was 18, we played in age grade together."

SECOND-ROW:

4. Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
5. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)

BACK-ROW:

6. Richard Hill (England)
7. Schalk Burger (South Africa)
8. George Smith (Australia)

McCaw on Hill: “Extremely gifted player who had all the ability in the world. When England needed someone to dig in he was your man. He had the full tool bag and quietly got on with it.”

McCaw on Smith: Speaking in a Q+A with World Rugby, McCaw's revealed former Wallabies flanker George Smith as the one he feared most on the field, saying Smith "was always pretty tough".

“I remember playing him when I was in the under 19s against Australia and remember then thinking just what a good player he is.”

McCaw on Burger: "You can come up against another tough team but never feel like you have had a tough match against your opposite. But with Burger you knew where they are going to be and how hard they play near the ball."

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