NEWCASTLE FALCONS

Sale Sharks Director of Rugby, Alex Sanderson, has warned his side to prepare for ‘battle’ ahead of their Gallagher Premiership trip to Exeter Chiefs.

In what is a third neeting of the season between the two clubs, the stakes could not be higher as the race for the end-of-season play-offs intensifies by the week.

With the Sharks flying high in second spot, Rob Baxter has challenged his Chiefs side to haul in the Mancunians, who will include former Chiefs Jonny Hill and Tom O’Flaherty in their starting line-up, as well as - for a first time in the Premiership - England fly-half George Ford.

Sanderson knows from past experience that trips to Devon are far from easy and believes this latest match-up will pose arguably one of his side’s toughest tests of the season.

“Exeter what a challenge,” he said. “They are bang on form and with the various people leaving them, it’s a bit of a last dance scenario down there. Those people will no doubt want to leave with good memories.

“We’ve all seen the papers and who is coming and going, so that has kind of elimanated the white noise ciruclating pre-Christmas about all of that and the shackles are off.

“Omar you can see is doing a great job with their defence, they’ve changed their attack, whereby they are a bit more direct and play that multi-phase game which really challenges you. Equally, they are just as tough in defence, I think they are second to only us in terms of dominant collisions.

“Any time you go down there, you expect a physical battle and that’s what we will get. This is a game that will test us more than any other physically, so we have to be up to speed.”

With Sanderson expecting both sides to trade some heavyweight blows, he acknowledges that other elements of the game will be neeed for his side to prosper in the Westcountry.

“There are elements of boxing smart, it can’t a bludgeon fest,” he said. “It will be physical, but other things need to happen in the game as well. For that to happen, though, it comes on the back of winning collisions both sides of the ball.”

As well as a first league start for Ford, team news for the Sharks sees Tom Roebuck and Ryan Mills also return to the back division. With Ford in and Manu Tuilagi suspended, leading points-scorer Rob du Preez moves into the centre alongside Mills.

The two other changes both come in the Sale front-row where internationals Bevan Rodd, released by England earlier this week, packs down alongside Ewan Ashman and fellow returnee, Coenie Oostehuizen.

Elsewhere, the experienced Jono Ross skippers the visitors from the back-row, while on the bench Sanderson has plenty of experience to call upon in the likes of Tommy Taylor, Simon McIntyre, Josh Beaumont, Raffi Quirke and Sam James.