[Bronzbronx]

https://www.salesharks.com/2026/02/06/t ... ath-rugby/

Starting XV:

15. Luke James, 14. Albert Bradshaw, 13. Joe Bedlow, 12. Marius Louw, 11. Alex Wills, 10. Tom Curtis, 9. Dom Hanson; 1. Tumy Onasanya, 2. Nathan Jibulu, 3. Tye Raymont, 4. Reuben Logan, 5. Tom Burrow ©, 6. Sam Dugdale, 7. Tristan Woodman, 8. Dan du Preez.

Replacements:

16. Tadgh McElroy, 17. Ralph McEachran, 18. Patreece Bell, 19. Ethan Caine, 20. Dylan Hodkinson, 21. Nye Thomas, 22. Sam Bedlow, 23. Sebi Krippner.

[Bronzbronx]

Bath Rugby: 1 Scott Kirk, 2 Dan Frost, 3 Kieran Verden, 4 Will Jeanes, 5 Harvey Cuckson, 6 Ethan Staddon, 7 Thompson Cowan, 8 Arthur Green, 9 Bernard van der Linde, 10 Will Roue, 11 Will Muir, 12 Will Butt ©, 13 Jack Harrison (debut), 14 Charlie Griffin, 15 Austin Emens

Replacements: 16 Jasper Spandler, 17 Ioan Emanuel, 18 Mikey Summerfield, 19 Jack Bennett, 20 George Timmins, 21 Neil le Roux, 22 James Linegar, 23 Tyler Mason (guest)

[RinTin]

So we are obviously on last legs for back row and second row options given Logan is packing down in the row and Caine appears to be back up back row. Hodgkinson is a second row from what I've seen?

Very winnable game looking at the 2 sides. Bristol doing a number on Chiefs would be a real help.

[Olyy]

Logan at lock is a surprise,

Don't get putting Caine as backrow sub - is it just to justify re-signing him?
Surely literally any academy backrow would benefit more from the experience?

[RinTin]

Logan at lock is a surprise,

Don't get putting Caine as backrow sub - is it just to justify re-signing him?
Surely literally any academy backrow would benefit more from the experience?

Birch and Chatterton.

[LJK]

Only recognise a handful of the Bath names, so should be a more even sided match than some of the Cup mismatch teams in the past. Getting anywhere in this competition seems to be as much of a lottery of what other teams do in other games, as much as any one team's success.

[DavenportSharky]

Sale Sharks v Bath Rugby
Referee: Hamish Smales
ARs: Ian Tempest & Veryan Boscawen

[Halifaxshark]

Who’s this lad at 8? From the academy?

[Olyy]

Louw crocked, RMW straight in to start instead

[SSR]

What is going wrong ?
Half time score makes it look very one sided ( sadly the wrong side ).

[ChorltonShark]

Terrible Rugby AND £6.75 for a sausage roll and a coke? All in one amazing package. A bargain at three times the price.

[Surbiton_Shark]

just looked at the score...my oh my....Bath have a half century - batted lads

[ChorltonShark]

Just all round ineptitude and predictability

[Olyy]

19-60 fulltime

268pts conceded in 2026
-156 points differential

[Lord Elpus]

Ah well; onwards and downwards.

[ejndavid95]

239 points conceded in 4 games. Dress it up however you like, that is abject.

Is this indicative of a club entering real crisis? Or have they just phoned it in for the Prem Cup?

Though it would be extremely poor, I'm really hoping the latter but we're lacking in all facets of the game at the moment.

[45jumper]

There is no way that Bath team should've put 60 points on us at home. Absolutely shameful.
Mcguigan is doing half a job for us whilst our defence falls to bits and Joe Ford is suddenly doing two jobs at once despite having minimal coaching experience.
All is not well and it's myopic to suggest otherwise. Sanderson better have some serious recruitment up his sleeve or he might be on borrowed time.

[DavenportSharky]

The highlight of the afternoon was seeing Kenny and Gabby at close quarters in the West Stand. The car park opposite Aldi has closed. Sale Jets looked decidedly inferior to Bath rejects. Smales was blowing up for everything but still missed loads. Crowd not surprisingly minute. Pitch is looking awful. Certainly the worst I’ve ever seen it here. Dan Du Preez must wonder what the hell he has done wrong to end up playing in a match like that. I left to get in the bus queue with 7 minutes to go. The bus queue was already substantial. On the plus side it was 11 degrees C.

[Evo]

Wow, looking at the lineups that is a humbling result for the Sharks...
Appears on the outside a real disconnect between coaching and playing .....

[The Back Row]

Averaging 60 points a game in the last 4 matches.

I think many now agree Sanderson needs to go. Seems McGuigan may be a wise choice to send with him?

[Clutch]

Something fundemental needs to change for sure.

If only we’d listened to back row earlier!!

[Surbiton_Shark]

Well Sanderson either goes now, end of season or middle of next season when the obvious can't be ignored any longer despite the obvious emotional tie-in to the owners.

I'd get Dimes back in - he's well organised, doesn't come with all the emotional stuff and can get back back on the straight and narrow. I'm concerned that if we spend money on new players under the existing coaching bunch that it's just money wasted as we box kick away and just rely on physicality

[The Back Row]

Something fundemental needs to change for sure.

If only we’d listened to back row earlier!!

Welcome to the fold, my child.

[JohnJ of HM]

I very rarely come on here criticising a performance but that was woeful. I don't know how many Bath had, but we had about 9 players with fairly regular 1st team experience and it looked as if we were complete novices. Agreed McGuigan is with England but Forshaw was there and his defence credentials are fairly good. I'm not sure what the penalty count was, but it seemed horrendous. It's not as if many of them were dubious. It appears to me that if you can't defend a driving maul, then you might as well contest the line-out or better still don't give the penalty away that gave them the position.

[poyntonshark]

I said last week that I wouldn't let a result in the Mickey Mouse cup affect my judgement re Sanderson, but that is a ridiculous result for those two sides. I can't comment on actual performance as I haven't seen it, but the result suggests we can't have been great, the comments fill in the gaps. Could be some deflection onto Warren Spragg, but I hear Alex was patrolling the touchline obviously heavily involved. I'd hate to see what results in this cup would be like if we weren't targeting it.

[poyntonshark]

Well Sanderson either goes now, end of season or middle of next season when the obvious can't be ignored any longer despite the obvious emotional tie-in to the owners.

I'd get Dimes back in - he's well organised, doesn't come with all the emotional stuff and can get back back on the straight and narrow. I'm concerned that if we spend money on new players under the existing coaching bunch that it's just money wasted as we box kick away and just rely on physicality

I would have thought that having Dimes as DOR and not relying on physicality were mutually exclusive events.

I like a lot of what Dimes does and the way he does some of it, but I don't understand the desire to get him back, we never had any real success under him either. I think Sale needs to widen the field, our DOR does not have to come from Sale. The rest of the rugby playing world probably has one or two decent ideas too.

[SSR]

I read that Ford Snr has given up his job at Oldham Ruffy'eds. Could have a Ford clan at
Sharks ?

[Lord Elpus]

Is PSA doing 'owt at the moment?

[Olyy]

Don't think Scott Robertson is!

I like Dimes a lot but he's your man if you're relegation fodder and need a backs-against-the-wall mindset instilling, not for a club with top 4/title aspirations.
Though based on this season we're closer to the former than the latter.

[SSR]

We could do with someone like Van Graan, he is looking like the steadiest coach in the
Premiership.

[East Stand Shark]

That was as woeful and inept a performance as I have ever witnessed in 22 years of being a Sale supporter and season ticket holder!
A RECORD points score against us at home and a RECORD points difference.
Nearly 250+ points conceded in the last 4 matches
The body language of the players gave the impression they were not interested, fed up with all the pyscho-babble coaching speak and didn't want to be there.

I am firmly in Back Row's camp. Sanderson needs to go. It is quite clear the players are no longer playing for him. The tactics, if we actually have any, are light years behind the likes of Saints and Bristol. Our recruitment over the past 2 -3 years has been, quite frankly, sub standard.

The club needs a complete reset and culture change.

[The Back Row]

Hey - I didnt ask to be a leader...

[poyntonshark]

But, secretly, you're lovin' it.

[Lord Elpus]

But, secretly, you're lovin' it.

Harsh but fair.

[AndaleManito]

I said last week that I wouldn't let a result in the Mickey Mouse cup affect my judgement re Sanderson, but that is a ridiculous result for those two sides. I can't comment on actual performance as I haven't seen it, but the result suggests we can't have been great, the comments fill in the gaps. Could be some deflection onto Warren Spragg, but I hear Alex was patrolling the touchline obviously heavily involved. I'd hate to see what results in this cup would be like if we weren't targeting it.

I agree with this summary. Part of me wants to wait until we get a drubbing in the PREM before saying unequivocally that I don't think Sanderson is the right person going forward, but I can also see the writing on the wall. Mickey mouse comp or not, the weekend's score is a terrible result.

That, combined with Axe's comments in the press around Kpoku (which must surely have at least had some bearing on him deciding not to sign, right?), makes me feel like all is not well.

A result like that makes me wonder whether Sanderson has lost the dressing room.

Hopefully The Back Row can now see that I'm not a happy clapper and didn't have a problem with his opinions, just wanted to make this place a pleasant place to discuss things!

[Olyy]

Part of me wants to wait until we get a drubbing in the PREM

We've had three this season already, I can't handle another one

[Yareet]

Part of me wants to wait until we get a drubbing in the PREM

We've had three this season already, I can't handle another one

Define a drubbing.

Yes we were on the wrong end of one at the StoneX but otherwise in the Prem, we've lost by 12, 1, 1, 16, 2, 14.

Two scores is definitely a loss but (IMO) hardly a drubbing


Now I can't help thinking "what if?" about those close losses

[The Back Row]

Hopefully The Back Row can now see that I'm not a happy clapper and didn't have a problem with his opinions, just wanted to make this place a pleasant place to discuss things!

You dont have to be part of my growing cult to agree with me, but it helps... now sign this direct debit form would you.

[Olyy]

Part of me wants to wait until we get a drubbing in the PREM

We've had three this season already, I can't handle another one

Define a drubbing.

Yes we were on the wrong end of one at the StoneX but otherwise in the Prem, we've lost by 12, 1, 1, 16, 2, 14.

Two scores is definitely a loss but (IMO) hardly a drubbing


Now I can't help thinking "what if?" about those close losses

Saints away was a 26pt loss and the 21 we scored massively flatters us - it was a thrashing

I'll downgrade to two though, Saints at home is a poor loss but competitive enough for large parts that it's a kicking and not a drubbing

[ChorltonShark]

Oh well, at least I can take a break from Sale and watch Wales in the Six Nations. Oh, hang on ...

[Yareet]

We've had three this season already, I can't handle another one

Define a drubbing.

Yes we were on the wrong end of one at the StoneX but otherwise in the Prem, we've lost by 12, 1, 1, 16, 2, 14.

Two scores is definitely a loss but (IMO) hardly a drubbing


Now I can't help thinking "what if?" about those close losses

Saints away was a 26pt loss and the 21 we scored massively flatters us - it was a thrashing

I'll downgrade to two though, Saints at home is a poor loss but competitive enough for large parts that it's a kicking and not a drubbing

Apologies yes - bad maths on my part.

[yalimer]

That scoreline is brutal… really shows the gap we need to close. Hopefully the lads can regroup for the next match

[The Back Row]

What does this mean?

A disastrous run of results is to be blamed on the 'lads' not being 'grouped'? Who is accountable for Grouping? Who will lead the 're-grouping'?

Aside from being flippant, my question would be does the abject failure of this club on the pitch at present represent:

- Poor players (and if so who is accountable for playing roster and recruitment?)
- Poor tactics (and if so who is accountable for playing tactics?)
- Poor execution (and if so, is it the players not executing or poor coaching?)
- Lack of willing (and if so are the players to blame, or is it leadership?)
- Poor selection from a group of players weakened by all of the above (and if so who picks the team?)

Now Sanderson is not wholly accountable for all of the above. But when we know the answer is a bit of everything, it demonstrates what a shi* show he is presiding over. Chickens are coming home to roost. Reading the Reader's Digest summary of internet motivational speakers is no way to build an effective organisation.

Sadly, gathering the lads in a room and asking them to 'regroup' is all he will be doing... Of course he will be doing it by asking Chat GPT to create images of a shark drowning a baby cherry, or handing out the crayons to draw logos for their leadership pods based on acrostic poetry of their first initials. But nothing more, because on the pitch he is frozen by fear and statistics from his Saracen's days - which means recovering a box kick is the most effective use of ball in hand.

[RinTin]

Now Sanderson is not wholly accountable for all of the above.

Never thought I'd see this typed!

[PACMANPROP]

Re The Back Row

You really know how to put the boot in, perhaps you should take up goal kicking.
Yes we have had a bad time in the last few games 'but really' all teams go thru bad times,
but I believe Sanderson has more than enough money in the bank to continue.
We have had a lot of disruption this season with changes in coaches and they will always need time to bed in, plus of course the plethora of injuries.
So please have a little patience, and cool it a little.

[East Stand Shark]

Why should The Back Row cool it a little?

All those points he made are valid questions!
Sanderson is now presiding over a s..t show which culminated in the worst performance I have ever witnessed last Sunday. Even with our internationals back I doubt we will win another game this season.

If the Oranges are happy with that then so be it...........

[RinTin]

Why should The Back Row cool it a little?

All those points he made are valid questions!
Sanderson is now presiding over a s..t show which culminated in the worst performance I have ever witnessed last Sunday. Even with our internationals back I doubt we will win another game this season.

If the Oranges are happy with that then so be it...........

He goes a little far. One claim is 'chickens coming home to roost' which implies Axe's actions in previous years are coming back to ruin this season.

The questions are fine, it's the words around them which stink of the same old rhetoric. These words and comments detract from the very reasonable questions raised.

What's the saying? Let someone speak long enough and their true intentions will be revealed? In this case it's 'I never liked Sanderson and I'm right'.

[Richymcfc]

I have read the forum for a while, but as I'm not as clued up as most deciding against posting until now.

I personally used to go to all the home games, but moved near Tarpoley and have 3 young kids so heading over to a friday night game is nigh on impossible.

Now - on Alex - I love the bloke after meeting him a couple of times, he seems a genuinely good guy and in an ideal world he would carry on leading us.

The problem we have is the brand of rugby is so dire, box kick after box kick and no real game changers in midfield. This style of rugby works when you are winning, but to lose this much while still being so dull is another story.

If this was say a transition season, where we are working on new attacking plays or a more gung ho style then fair play. However we just seem to be going more into the brute power and gaining territory. That is my worry, is there a clear way forward where we can see light at the end of the tunnel.

[East Stand Shark]

Whatever the sport, at the top level it comes down to performance and if the performance isn't good enough then serious questions need to be asked about the tactics, recruitment, style of play, etc. I would argue that Sale's performances (and results) have deteriorated at such an alarming rate that the current DOR and coaching team need to come under severe scrutiny, as they are ultimately responsible for many of these aspects.

Based on our recruitment to date I can't see Sale changing the narrative any time soon. None of the players recruited so far are real game changers and we don't appear to have strengthened in any of the areas we need to. The impression is that top class players don't want to come to Sale no matter what salaries are on offer. Why is that?

[Evo]

Lots of emotion...

Re Recruitment.. I do think think Marchant is a serious game changer. 2 canny back up international props. Lozoowski, when fit, is a game changer.
Let's see what other recruits are forthcoming.

Loads of members piling into Alex, however, let's see where the final section of Prem games ends up. Accepted we're not going to be in the play offs....but..

I'm okay with seeing how next year pans out, existing coaching staff, reset, and new players, young players blooded ....

So many keyboard warriors saying what shouldn't happen, who should go, , no one to my knowledge saying who who/what should succeed.