"Specialist" - Alex Sanderson Issues Curry Injury Update

But for Sale Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson, there’s no doubting the importance of this one — especially after a bruising 28-16 defeat to champions Bath at The Rec last Friday. While the torrential rain and swirling wind made it a night for trench warfare, Sanderson wasn’t in the mood for excuses.

“You can make a bit of allowance for the weather,” he said. “But it was the same for both sides. They still scored four tries in transition. We made 15 execution errors in the first half and gave away nine penalties — six inexcusable. That gives a team too much opportunity, no matter how well you’re defending.”

That said, the standout moment came late on: 57 defensive phases, 120 tackles in their own 22 — and Sale refused to yield.

“That was probably the thing that got celebrated the most this week, amongst a myriad of things that we looked to improve upon. Penalty count, inaccuracies, poor executions, all these things that you have to be consistent against any team, not just the best team."

Now, attention turns to a different kind of test — not against champions, but a team in flux. Newcastle Falcons are no more. Welcome to the Red Bulls era: rebranded and rapidly reshaping under new ownership following the summer buyout.

The northern visitors arrive off the back of a chaotic few weeks. Former Sale boss Steve Diamond — a close friend of Sanderson — was abruptly sacked by the Red Bulls after a humbling home loss to Saracens on the first weekend. In steps Alan Dickens, formerly with the England U20s, and handed the daunting task of restoring direction and discipline to a young, physical squad still finding its identity.

“Sudden.” Sanderson said of Diamond’s departure. “He has left the place in a better state than when he came. It felt like on the back of the one home loss, and now Alan Dickens has a lot to do.”

Sanderson insists that any talk of Sale being “big favourites” this weekend is dangerous.

“You can’t just assume professionalism gets you a big score. That’s when you get caught out,” he said. “Newcastle are physical — always have been. They dominate collisions, and they’ve got some exciting players coming into the squad."

He even managed an animal-related pun to describe how he wants his side to play, "We've got to be prepared to take the bull by the horns.”

Consistency will be needed in selection. Ben Curry is going to need treatment with a hamstring issue, although he could still play in the meantime. “One option is to sit him out and it will settle down, but we have been down that road before and still it recurs. In the specialist’s experience, this has only happened twice before and one just got on with it while the other had the suture snipped off and weeks out. Both ways are a solution, but we are trying to work out what is best for Ben.

“He had the hamstring reattached in the operation (in May 2023), and he has seen the specialist for a second time and England are aware of the multiple scans trying to sort it out. It would be a clear-up from the last operation, which would be 12 days of stitches and six weeks in total.

“England may want to push him through the internationals, then has the operation and six weeks out over Christmas and he comes back for the Six Nations. That’s the best thing for country if it is focussed just on country. Best thing for the club is probably play a couple of games and get his operation over the Autumn internationals.

“This is why there is still a lot of communication about what is best for Ben and how we can serve both masters.”

There’s better news on the du Preez front, although Dan won’t feature this weekend. And while the rumour mill continues to swirl with talk of a move to France, Sanderson is pragmatic.

“They’ve given us so much, been incredibly loyal to this club and I'm so grateful. This is the last real big financial contract for the du Preez's, and life experience. So if it did come, I'm better with it than I was in the past.”

George Ford, meanwhile, is expected to steer the ship once again. His control at Bath — including two drop goals in horrendous conditions — was a reminder of his elite-level influence.

“If you could bottle a bit of George Ford, you’d sell it for a fortune,” Sanderson said. “He’s relentlessly driven. Journals every night. Sets intentions. Controls sessions. That’s why he’s England’s first-choice again.”

Friday night under the lights in Salford may not feel like a traditional derby, but both sides will want a positive result to get their seasons properly underway.

As Sanderson summed it up: “I want our best players to stand up. That’s the test of consistency. If we do that, the rest will follow.”