Sale Sharks Matchday Programme - Premiership Rugby Cup Final

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DIMES

A Huge Opportunity For The Club

SALE SHARKS Season So Far

HARLEQUINS Season So Far

PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CUP The Road To The Final

DARREN CHILDS Welcome To The Final

LUKE JAMES

A Homegrown Hero

BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER Tommy Reffell

IT WILL BE A GREAT MARKER OF OUR PROGRESSION AND A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT FOR THE CLUB IF WE CAN PULL OFF A RESULT TODAY

Firstly, I would like to welcome Paul Gustard and his squad to Manchester, for what is a fantastic occasion for both clubs today.

Quins made their way to the semi’s and produced an emphatic display at Sandy Park to qualify for today’s final.

We set out our stall early in the Premiership Rugby Cup with a number of solid performances in the group stages both at home and away. In fact, I stated back in the summer we would be using the competition as a platform to develop our performances heading into the Gallagher Premiership and this worked really well for us. Along with allowing our new contingent of players to gel ahead of the league commencing, the cup allowed us to build some confidence in our style of play and it is fantastic to see we have been able to maintain this throughout the tournament.

Although this competition is often looked at as the ‘little brother’ of the Gallagher Premiership, the Premiership Rugby Cup holds fantastic pedigree and that is illustrated by the teams that have previously lifted the trophy.

We remain unbeaten in the cup this year and qualifying as top seeds opened up a huge opportunity for the club, with the help of Premiership Rugby, to host today’s final. It is our first chance at winning the final of any competition since 2013, when coincidently we lost out to Harlequins in what was then the Anglo-Welsh Cup.

Once again, thank you all for your continued support throughout this unique season, hopefully we can share some success later on today, but for now our focus is on the task at hand.

It will be a great marker of our progression and a huge achievement for the club if we can pull off a result today, having said that, I have no doubt Paul Gustard and his team will prove a tough test for us this afternoon, as there is no shortage of motivation for either side.

Today’s opponents, Harlequins, have All the best and enjoy the game also had their fair share of success today. in the Premiership Rugby Cup this season, with their only defeat Dimes. coming at the hands of Saracens in their final pool match. Despite a large injury list and that loss on the road to the Premiership Champions,

JOURNEY TO THE FINAL ROUND 1

ROUND 2

ROUND 3

39-18 (W)

17-36 (W)

24-20 (W)

ROUND 4

SEMI-FINAL

22-27 (W)

28-7 (W)

YOUR SHARKS

IT’S STILL

ALL TO

PLAY FOR.

24.10.20 See it live on

THIS YEAR, STEVE DIAMOND HAS LED SALE SHARKS TO THEIR MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASON IN OVER A DECADE. After recruiting wisely throughout the summer, the Sharks used this year’s Premiership Rugby Cup as a platform to develop the understanding within their newly assembled squad, and the tactic proved fruitful with Sale qualifying as top seeds in the competition after a number of impressive pool stage performances.

An even tougher test followed for the Sharks in round 2 of the pool stages, as Sale made the trip south to Gallagher Premiership Champions Saracens. Steve Diamond had never led a side to victory at Allianz Park before and after ten minutes of play in North London, it looked like the Sharks would suffer a similar fate to previous seasons.

Chris Boyd’s men were full of confidence heading to Manchester but the Sharks proved too much for the Saints to handle on the opening day.

James Phillips was sin binned early in the first half after a series of maul offences close to the Sale try line denied the hosts the opening score, and Saracens made their extra man count early on. The Premiership Champions racked up a twelve-point lead before the end of the first quarter to leave Diamond’s men chasing the game, but the Sharks proved their spirit by reducing the deficit to just five points, after Dan du Preez ran in unopposed to score just before the interval.

The Sharks fielded eight club debutants during their opening match in September, with Akker van der Merwe and Simon Hammersley both crossing the whitewash on debut as the Sale romped to a 39-18 victory to stake their claim in the competition.

It was all Sale in the second half, as the Sharks showed their dominance to score a further four tries and run away with the game, despite a late resurgence from Saracens, Sale went on to win 36-17, recording the first victory in the club’s history at Allianz Park.

The Sharks started their campaign at home with a visit from defending Premiership Rugby Cup champions Northampton Saints, following a delayed start to the season on the back of a hugely successful Rugby World Cup in Japan.

A visit from Wasps Rugby in round 3 of the pool stages proved a tougher ask for the in-form Sharks with Dai young’s men looking to secure a spot in the knock-out stages of the competition.

After taking an early lead through an explosive driving maul which resulted in a second try in as many appearances for Akker van der Merwe, Sale slipped behind after a successful penalty kick from Jacob Umaga was followed by a moment of brilliance from Wasps winger Zach Kibirige.

Kibirige broke the Sharks defence at halfway and danced his way into Sale territory before offloading to his forwards, the winger managed to catch on the end of the visitors second phase of attack too, and produced a wonderful chip and chase inside the Sale 22 to complete the move and take his side 17-10 in front.

Sale responded well after the interval, but fell foul of the referee again, allowing Umaga to take his side ten points ahead with a successful penalty kick. The ten-point deficit would not last long however, and after a great break from Rob Webber left Denny Solomona with a one-onone inside the Wasps 22, there would only be one outcome as the illustrious finisher crashed over to score.

With the scores at 17-20 and twenty minutes on the clock, Rob du Preez had a chance to level the scores, only to drift the

ball wide of the posts with his penalty attempt from 40 meters.

However, a late resurgence from the Sale forwards saved the Springbok’s blushes.

A well-worked line out inside the Wasps half sent Ben Curry charging towards the visitors 22, with the flanker acting quickly under pressure to release Denny Solomona to score. Du Preez added the conversion to give the Sharks a 24-20 lead with five minutes on the clock and, despite a late push from Wasps the Sale defence held strong to record their third victory on the bounce.

The Sharks made the trip to London Irish for their final pool match of the competition, and the Gallagher Premiership newcomers provided a stern test for Sale with a spirited performance at the Madejski stadium.

The hosts started the brighter of the two sides, with former

inside the Sharks 22 to send the young winger over to score, leaving the scores 22-15.

After steadily building through the phases the ball found its way to Chris Ashton on the left wing who chased his own kick to tap down and emphatically bring the Sharks back into the game. Rob du Preez added the conversion to level the scores 22-22 with 15 minutes left to play. Akker van der Merwe’s try from an effective rolling maul inside the Irish 22 was the deciding factor in the 75th minute and the Springbok sent the Sharks into the semi-finals of the Premiership Rugby Cup as top seeds with a fourth straight win.

Sale academy player Matt Rogerson crashing over at the back of a driving maul inside five minutes, with Paddy Jackson converting to send his side 7 points into the lead.

Sale would not give up easily though and produced two moments of brilliance to score two tries in the first half, with Dan du Preez’s score following a great break from Will Cliff and Denny Solomona the highlight.

Irish started the second half well and with pressure mounting the exiles pack went through the phases before prop Ollie Hoskins barged over the try-line.

Jackson converted to leave the scores 17-15 5 minutes into the second half.

Irish continued to put pressure on the Sharks with multiple lineouts and mauls, Sale resisted the attacks well until Paddy Jackson spotted a gap and smartly offloaded to Ben Loader

A home semi-final versus Saracens was secured, and after the Sharks carried their form into the Gallagher Premiership, Steve Diamond went all out in preparation for the Premiership Rugby Cup in the hope of securing the club’s first chance of making a final in seven years.

Diamond’s men did not disappoint in front of a home crowd at the AJ Bell Stadium. The Sharks game and made an immediate impact. Denny Solomona crashed over for a first-minute try in his return to the side with Rob du Preez converting to send a clear message of attacking intent to a youthful Saracens side.

Sale produced a clinical first half display taking a 21-0 lead into the interval, and after a fourth try in four matches from Akker van der Merwe during the second half cancelled out Rotimi Segun’s consolation score, Sale had defeated the Premiership Champions for a second time this season and secured an allimportant home final without a blemish on their record.

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DAN DU PREEZ

DAN DU PREEZ

SIMON HAMMERSLEYSIMON HAMMERSLEY

63 63 171 171

CARRIES CARRIES METRES METRES

DAN DU PREEZ

DAN DU PREEZ

DAN DU PREEZ

DAN DU PREEZ

9 9 19 19

DEFENDERSDEFENDERS BEATEN BEATE CLEAN BREAKS CLEAN BREAKS

DENNY SOLOMONADENNY SOLOMONA

BEN CURRY

AKKER VAN DER MERWE AKKER VAN DER MERWE

4 4

TURNOVERS TURNOVERS

BEN CURRY

BRYN EVANS

BRYN EVANS

JOSH BEAUMONT JOSH BEAUMONT

14 14

LINEOUTS LINEOUTS WON WON

BEN CURRY

BEN CURRY

DAN DU PREEZ

DAN DU PREEZ

65 65 9 9

TACKLES TACKLES OFFLOADSOFFLOADS

AKKER VAN DER MERWE AKKER VAN DER MERWE ROB DU PREEZ

ROB DU PREEZ

4 4 31 31

TRIES

TRIES

POINTS POINTS

An unmissable line up on BT Sport

CUP

Search bt.com/sport

3 TO WATCH

BEN CURRY

AKKER VD MERWE DANIEL DU PREEZ

Twin brother of England’s star back-row Tom, Ben made his debut for sale in the Premiership Rugby Cup aged just 18. The 21-yearold flanker has since gone on to become the youngest player in the Premiership to make 100 appearances for his club and has also represented England at U20 level, captaining the age-grade side in their 2018 World Cup campaign.

Armand ‘Akker’ van der Merwe has been a revelation since joining Sale from the Cell-C Sharks alongside Robert, Daniel and Jean-Luc du Preez. The abrasive hooker has made four appearances in the Premiership Rugby Cup so far, with his breakdown prowess and work rate around the pitch paying instant dividends for Steve Diamond.

The elder of the Curry twins, Ben is the only Sharks player to start all five matches in the Premiership Rugby Cup this season and has played an integral part in both the Sharks attack and defence this season.

So far in the Premiership Rugby Cup campaign, Ben has notched an impressive 65 tackles in five games, along with four turnovers.

The ‘Raging Warthog’ is the Sharks top try scorer in the competition this season, ahead of both Denny Solomona and Simon Hammersley, after crossing the whitewash four times in just three games.

Van der Merwe is also joint leader of turnovers won at the Sharks, level with Ben Curry with four to date.

Daniel, twin brother of fellow Shark Jean-Luc and younger brother of Fly-Half Robert, has had an instant impact in the Sale pack since joining from Super Rugby during the summer.

The 24-year-old Springbok has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Gallagher premiership and has been producing similar performances in the cup too. Daniel is the Sharks top carrier so far in the Premiership Rugby Cup with his physical dominance earning him an impressive 63 carries in just four games.

Du Preez also tops the defenders beaten charts at the club with 19, along with achieving the most clean breaks of any other player at the Sale with 9.

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SALE SHARKS AND HARLEQUINS WILL CONTEST JUST THE SECOND PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CUP FINAL TODAY, BUT THERE IS FAR MORE HISTORY TO ENGLAND’S PREMIER CUP COMPETITION THAN MEETS THE EYE. The Premiership Rugby Cup replaced the Anglo-Welsh Cup for the 2018-19 campaign, following 13 intense years.

The competition launched in 2005 with the 12 Premiership Rugby teams and four Welsh regions competing in four pools of four teams – initially with three English and one Welsh club in each.

GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD The first four finals were held at Twickenham, with an English team playing a Welsh side each time.

Wasps and Leicester Tigers were victorious in the first two years – over Llanelli Scarlets and Ospreys respectively – before there were back-to-back Welsh wins for Ospreys and Cardiff Blues.

The latter, who saw off Gloucester 50-12, ran up the largest winning margin in any Anglo-Welsh final – with former All Black Ben Blair grabbing two tries on his way to a 25-point haul in their triumph.

From 2009-10 onwards the final went on the road with Sixways, Franklin’s Gardens, Sandy Park, the Stoop and Kingsholm all hosting the showpiece.

It also marked the beginning of a stretch with only English teams contesting the final, which would run until the competition came to an end in 2018.

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PREMIERSHIP RUGBY DOMINANCE Northampton Saints grabbed their only victory in the 2010 final by winning 30-24 against Gloucester, who finally won the showpiece at the third time of asking a year later by crushing Newcastle Falcons 34-7.

Leicester, the most successful side in the 13 years of the competition with three wins, then beat Northampton 26-14 in an East Midlands derby at Sixways in 2012 to seal their second triumph.

Sixways was again the host 12 months later when it was Harlequins lifting the trophy for the only time, before Exeter Chiefs grabbed the first major piece of silverware in the club’s history by winning in front of their home fans at Sandy Park in 2014.

Tries from Chris Whitehead and Dean Mumm helped them beat Saints 15-8, although Saracens toppled them a year later in a 2320 triumph on the back of a David Strettle double.

END OF THE ANGLO-WELSH CUP After a hiatus in the 2015/16 season – due to it being a World Cup year – it was Tigers sealing their third triumph as they saw off Exeter after the West Country outfit reached the showpiece for a third time in a row.

The last Anglo-Welsh Cup final saw the Chiefs become just the second club to lift the trophy more than once, as they beat Bath Rugby 28-11 at Kingsholm – Jack Innard scoring two tries and Joe Simmonds notching 14 points with the boot.

At the end of the 2017-18 season it was announced the Welsh regions would end their involvement and from there the Premiership Rugby Cup was born, with Northampton beating Saracens 23-9 in last season’s showpiece.

WHILE THE RUGBY WORLD CUP WAS TAKING PLACE NEARLY 6000 MILES AWAY, SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST YOUNG STARS ROSE TO THE SURFACE IN THE PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CUP. champions Northampton Saints had wished for. A solitary win over East Midland rivals Leicester Tigers was the only positive, as they finished bottom Saracens, aiming to avenge their loss from last season’s finale, managed to sneak into the knock-out stages at the death after a Ben Spencer-inspired victory over rivals Harlequins.

The scrum-half, three weeks before flying out to Japan for a World Cup Final appearance, crossed over twice and kicked 13

Seasoned professionals dazzled, while matches up and down the country were supported by more than a quarter of a million spectators.

The route to the final enjoyed multiple twists and turns, edge-of-your-seat action and extraordinary moments. From derby delights to blockbuster battles, the sophomore season of the Premiership Rugby Cup has been a spectacular ride.

SALE AND SARACENS ADVANCE TO SEMIS It has been a flawless competition for Sale Sharks to

date. Four out of four wins in the Pool Stage took Steve Diamond’s side to a first semi-final fixture for the club in seven seasons.

It all began with an impressive opening home success over Northampton Saints, before they stunned Saracens at Allianz Park. A tight home win, courtesy of a late Denny Solomona try, over Wasps put the Greater Manchester club in pole position, before Akker van der Merwe’s 73rd-minute score at London Irish ensured a perfect group stage for the Sharks.

While the Sharks were firing on all cylinders, it wasn’t quite the tournament defending

For Wasps, despite Marcus Watson’s hat-trick over Worcester in their last pool match, fell short of a semi-final berth as they finished second in the pool.

QUINS IMPRESS ON THE WAY TO LAST FOUR In Pool B, finalists Harlequins kicked off the competition last September with a comfortable home win over Bristol Bears, before edging out London Irish at the Madejski Stadium and getting past Gloucester Rugby in an 11-try thriller at the Stoop.

They fell short in their final pool game against London rivals Saracens but still did enough to top Pool B and advance to the semi-finals.

The Bears missed out on a last-four spot after their heavy

loss to Exeter Chiefs in the ‘rivals’ round, while London Irish’s single victory in the group came over Gloucester on the opening weekend. It was not a competition to remember for the Cherry and Whites, who lost all four games, despite scoring the

EXETER BATTLE THEIR WAY THROUGH Pool C went right to the wire with the final round of fixtures deciding the winner. Exeter Chiefs prevailed, beating Bristol Bears in terrific style by claiming a bonuspoint 42-19 win. Leicester Tigers, who could have eclipsed the Chiefs into top place with a win over Northampton Saints faltered at the last hurdle, while Bath Rugby had a mixed-bag campaign after disappointing defeats to the Chiefs and Tigers but did secure superb victories over Worcester and away at Gloucester.

The Warriors only success came at the beginning of the competition, when they got off to a flying start at Sixways against Leicester. A huge nine-try win looked set to propel Warriors to a fruitful crack at the trophy but three straight defeats followed to dent their ambitions.

HARLEQUINS STUN CHIEFS AT SANDY PARK The first Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final encounter was certainly one to remember for Paul Gustard’s men. Exeter, who were so often imperious at Sandy Park, stumbled as Quins stormed to a seven-try victory. Alex Dombrandt and Gabriel Ibitoye, nominated as a Breakthrough Player of the Season, were the stand-outs as they both crossed over for a pair of tries each. In doing so, it dented the Chiefs hopes of an unprecedented treble. It also sent the West London club through to their first

SALE SECURE HOME FINALE AFTER SARRIES WIN

added a fourth to secure Sale’s

After a perfect pool stage for Steve Diamond’s side, the pressure was on them to get past the last season’s runners-up in Saracens. The Sharks came out of the blocks quickly, with Denny Solomona dotting down after just 76 seconds, the third quickest try in the competition’s history. A couple more tries followed for Sale in the first quarter for Will Cliff and Ben Curry. Hooker Van der Merwe

Silverware beckons for both sides. Sale have been inchperfect up to this stage, can the cherry be applied on top of the cake for a first trophy in 14 years? Or will Harlequins have the final say with Chris Robshaw lifting silverware in his final season at the club. With fireworks across the field, it is set to be a spectacular show at the AJ Bell Stadium to conclude a truly magnificent season.

AND THE WINNER IS...

GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP WELCOME

WELCOME TO TONIGHT’S PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CUP FINAL BETWEEN SALE SHARKS AND HARLEQUINS. Back in March, we were forced to postpone the Premiership Rugby Cup Final as the country went into an unprecedented lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

So, it will give me huge pleasure to see the Sale Sharks and Harlequins players finally run out at the AJ Bell Stadium tonight.

The stadium would have been rocking for the original match but unfortunately, there will only be a handful of people watching the Final tonight.

A glance at the England squad at last year’s Rugby World Cup shows the important role the Premiership Rugby Cup – previously the Anglo-Welsh Cup – has played in developing young talent, with the likes of Maro Itoje, George Ford and Henry Slade having all made their senior debuts at this level, underlining its remarkable value to English rugby.

The fact that we are here at all is remarkable and a testament to the incredible hard work that has been put in over the last six months by our clubs and the team at Premiership Rugby.

We have achieved a significant victory even before the game kicks off.

Ahead of today’s showpiece, 501 different players have featured in the season’s Premiership Rugby Cup, with 110 of those making their debut at this level. I’m proud that the Premiership Rugby Cup continues to be a true pathway for new rugby talent.

This is the competition that gives fans an exciting preview of the future player and coaching talent.

We pledged to play the season out in its entirety so it is another important milestone to play tonight’s Final and award one of only two domestic trophies on offer this season.

Premiership Rugby’s has a significant global reach and the Premiership Rugby Cup is a part of this journey. In the UK the Final is live on BT Sport with the highlights broadcast on Channel 5 tomorrow night.

I HOPE EVERYONE WATCHING AT HOME HAS A GREAT EVENING AND ENJOYS WHAT I AM SURE WILL BE A THRILLING FINAL.

DARREN CHILDS CHIEF EXECUTIVE, PREMIERSHIP RUGBY

JOURNEY TO THE FINAL ROUND 1

ROUND 2

ROUND 3

24-12 (W)

18-21 (L)

40-31 (W)

ROUND 4

SEMI-FINAL

28-21 (L)

22-49 (W)

PAUL GUSTARD’S SIDE HAVE PRODUCED AN ARRAY OF IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCES SO FAR THIS SEASON TO ENJOY A SUCCESSFUL RUN IN THIS YEAR’S PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CUP. The journey to this year’s final saw an opening weekend win at The Stoop to oversee Bristol Bears before defeating London Irish at the Madejski, followed up by another home victory over Gloucester Rugby.

Quins lost their only game of the competition against Saracens at Allianz Park in Round Four but still finished top of the group, setting up a tough away semi final at Sandy Park against Exeter Chiefs.

However, Quins were able to oversee Chiefs with a commanding 22-49 victory to tee up their place in the final against Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium.

A number of young, exciting Quins players have made an impact so far in this competition, including Gabs Ibitoye and Will Evans who are both nominated for the Premiership Rugby Cup Breakthrough Player Award.

Winger Ibitoye has scored four times in the competition so far, including two against Exeter in the semi final and individual

scores against London Irish and Saracens. Evans, a summer signing from Leicester Tigers has enjoyed a promising start to his time at Quins, despite a lay off with injury, with the flanker excelling across the pitch particularly in his tackling, turnovers, clear breaks and carries.

Back in the Gallagher Premiership, Harlequins currently sit seventh in the table, which is proving to be the tightest and most competitive league of late.

Paul Gustard’s side have produced an array of impressive performances so far this season across all competitions, including league victories at The Stoop over reigning champions Saracens and current league leaders Exeter Chiefs.

Following the side’s narrow defeat to Exeter in round one, Quins bounced back with a home victory early in round two against last week’s hosts Bristol Bears.

Before taking on Leicester Tigers at Twickenham Stadium,

Quins oversaw a powerful Gloucester Rugby side in Round 4 of the Gallagher Premiership at The Stoop, 23-19. Ross Chisholm and Alex Dombrandt crossed the line on the day, with Dombrandt in a fine run of try scoring form across all leagues this season as the number eight continues to assert this authority since moving up to professional club rugby only a couple of years ago.

Round 6 saw an impressive 22-28 win at the Ricoh Arena in which Harlequins came from 17-0 down after 20 minutes to oversee Wasps and move into within five points off the top of the table, before a 30-30 draw against Leicester Tigers in front of over 75,000 at Big Game 12.

This was followed up by a defeat to Sale Sharks in Round 8 of the Gallagher Premiership, before Quins were able to string together some impressive performances such as the impressive 41-14 victory against Saracens in round nine and dramatic 34-30 win against Exeter.

Last weekend saw Quins falls to a 28-15 defeat at Ashton Gate against third placed Bristol Bears who are on a five-game winning streak – a defeat Gustard will be hoping to bounce back from against Sale.

Following a strong campaign in Paul Gustard’s first year at the Club in 2018/2019, Harlequins finished fifth and secured their place back in the Heineken Champions Cup after missing out

the previous season. Grouped with Ulster, ASM Clermont Auvergne and Bath, Harlequins produced spirited performances in the competition to finish third place after a clean sweep of Bath home and away accompanied by a narrow defeat in Belfast and testing Clermont at The Stoop.

This season saw a number of new faces enter the fold at Harlequins, combining old and new with the likes of Chris Robshaw, Joe Marler and Danny Care being joined by internationals including Scott Baldwin and Martin Landajo with exciting prospects such as Will Evans and recently experienced English winger Chris Ashton joined the Club.

The side has been forced to rotate heavily throughout the

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season, largely through an unfortunate extensive injury list, playing part in Gustard fielding young teams.

As is often the case in club rugby, rotation is necessary to manage injuries, which Harlequins have experienced considerably this season, with – at times – over 20 players carrying injuries in the opening months of the campaign. Mike Brown and Michele Campagnaro picked up season-ending injuries in the opening stages of the season which has also seen Scott Baldwin, Ben Tapuai and Francis Saili ruled out for medium-long terms.

Regardless, the Club is seeing signs of encouragement, with the likes of Baldwin and Saili back in action and Scottish international James Lang on

the fringe of return. Prolific try-scoring winger Nathan Earle, who sustained a serious knee injury in the latter part of the 2018/19 season has returned to action which will inevitably boost the side’s options on the wing alongside the likes of Chris Ashton, Cadan Murley, Gabs Ibitoye, Travis Ismaiel and Vereniki Goneva.

However, many of the young talents in the squad are leading the way in the league’s rankings including Marcus Smith currently top points scorer with 126 points, five tries for Cadan Murley and Gabs Ibitoye with Ibitoye having gained the fourth highest metres gained in the league.

TOGETHERNESS. IT’S WHAT MAKES RUGBY, RUGBY.

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We are excited to reach the final of a cup competition for the first time since 2016, and it’s three years prior to that since we brought silverware back to The Stoop.

2013 was the last time the Club added to the Harlequins trophy cabinet - and it’s important, like our opponents Sale know all too well, that you put yourselves in positions to compete.

The Premiership Rugby Cup has traditionally been a campaign where you blood youngsters and rest what people may consider to be your first team. Just like our hosts today, we used the league rounds of the competition to prepare for the start of the season, so I am sure people will see two strong teams out here today.

Sale recruited heavily in the summer with some big-name signings, with five South African

internationals joining the likes of Faf de Klerk and Rohan Janse van Rensburg to bolster their already impressive squad, alongside Simon Hammersley, Sam Hill and England International & previous tiger Manu Tuilagi.

We have had a season heavily disrupted with injury and frustrating inconsistency but have also proved that we can win important fixtures. It’s important we play to our potential and win some of the scraps and crumbs that we haven’t been of late, to give ourselves a strong chance to win the trophy.

Whilst Sale have the home advantage, and impressive current form, the trophy won’t pay reference to that – but only to the winners at the end of the day.

We came to Sale earlier in the season and conceded exceptionally cheaply with

individual mistakes hurting as we allowed a powerful team to score tries in one phase or less. We need to be resilient in our defence like we have showed in recent weeks, dangerous in attack and reproduce the set piece form that saw us hurt the might of Exeter ealier in the season.

We have earned the right to make our mark in history this evening and have our name inscribed on the trophy. This is an exciting time to be a Harlequin. We are fighting for silverware, building a team of talented players and good people, putting in place the foundations for success. 10 other teams would like to be here today, but it is Harlequins and Sale that got the results needed to have the privilege.

#COYQ PAUL GUSTARD

THE HARLEQUINS FOUNDATION HAVE HAD A SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR OF DELIVERING TACKLING HEALTH, A PREMIERSHIP RUGBY PROGRAMME RUN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GREGGS FOUNDATION. Nation-wide, the programme supports 250 primary schools within the Greggs Breakfast School programme to engage young children in years 3 and 4 to lead happier and healthier, active lives.

Tacking Health is a strand of Premiership Rugby Champions and is an interactive programme for children aged seven to eight, which takes a holistic approach to teaching children about their own health and wellbeing, with rugby as a focus. This year has seen The Harlequins Foundation’s dedicated team of coaches using sport as a vehicle to inspire and educate young people through an exciting digital app ‘Premiership Rugby Champions’ that covers both digital literacy as well as physical education.

The programme, part of Premiership Rugby’s ‘Plan to Improve A Million Lives’, uses rugby to improve young people’s understanding of what constitutes healthy eating and a healthy diet, helping increase young people’s levels of physical activity.

So far this season, The Harlequins Foundation have

visited over 500 primary school pupils throughout South & West London. Hounslow Development Officer, James Collins-Clark, said: “We have really enjoyed using the ‘Champions’ app this season to deliver Tackling Health throughout the borough.

“The kids are loving seeing some of their Harlequins heroes on screen and getting to learn how healthy eating and playing sport are important in school and on the field”.

Wayne Morris, Community and Corporate Responsibility Director, Premiership Rugby, added: “Premiership Rugby’s Tackling Health programme does just that and we are very excited to be working with the Greggs Foundation.

“Learning how to choose, cook and eat healthy food from a young age is an invaluable skill.

By ensuring youngsters develop these important life skills and good habits early; we hope this will have a positive and lasting impact throughout their lives.”

The Harlequins Foundation’s coaches have been working with schools to educate young people on topics such as physical

activity, sleep and nutrition and have been linking that to how professional players look after themselves as athletes.

In the coming summer term, The Harlequins Foundation are looking to invite all their Tackling Health schools to The Twickenham Stoop for a celebratory festival to conclude the season. Each of the pupils will get the opportunity to step out onto the famous Stoop pitch and put into practice some of the skills they have learnt throughout the programme.

The Harlequins Foundation’s Inclusion Manager, Matthew Williams, added; “We can’t wait to open up the stadium to each of the schools taking part in Tackling Health.

“For many, it will be the very first time they will have visited a rugby stadium and so I’m sure they will all have a great time and hopefully fall in love with our sport!”

To find out more about The Harlequins Foundation and the Tackling Health programme, please visit www.harlequins. foundation.

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AHEAD OF THE PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CUP FINAL, JOURNALIST JOE HARVEY SPOKE TO SALE SHARKS BACK LUKE JAMES ABOUT LIFE WITH HIS CHILDHOOD CLUB, PLAYING WITH HIS BROTHER AND HOW THINGS ARE GOING THIS SEASON. The last piece of silverware that Sale Sharks won was in 2006, when Philippe Saint-Andre’s Sale beat Leicester 45-20 at Twickenham.

That day it was the likes of Charlie Hodgson, Sebastien Chabal and Mark Cueto that were starring for Sharks.

Now, nearly 14 years on from that day at Twickenham, there are a new raft of Sale stars. Luke James is one of many locally produces players that regularly pull on the dark blue shirt.

Often playing alongside older brother, Sam, Luke made his debut for Sharks aged 18, now having racked up 65 appearances for the first team.

Eight years old when Sharks last lifted silverware, the childhood Sale fan admits that he may have been at Twickenham that day and have no recollection of it, but is looking forward to the prospect of lifting a trophy above his head on Sunday afternoon.

“I think everyone is just excited about it really,” James said, “It is no different to any other game, but then there is a chance of some silver at the end of it, so everyone is pretty excited this week. Fingers crossed, if we do get a trophy at the weekend, I think it will be quite surreal wearing that jersey and winning something for the club.”

Playing the majority of his rugby for Sale in the centre’s, James has also been seen in the 15 jersey at times this season. Like his brother Sam, Luke’s performances have remained consistent regardless of the position he has been put in.

Already an immensely experienced player at Premiership level, James’ talents were recognised by England at U20s level. Making his debut for the side against South Africa in 2018, James went to the Junior World Championships last summer in Argentina and was one of the sides stand-out players in a fairly

disappointing tournament for the team as a whole.

sense. I had to work him out in the same way as I did everybody else.”

What is clear is that playing for Sale has never phased Luke James.

Called upon to represent the club at such a young age, it is clear to see why there are some England whispers surrounding the young man from Wilmslow.

Older brother Sam was even nominated for Gallagher Premiership Player of the Month for February, with Luke saying that now that Sam has moved out of the family home, he thankfully no longer has to listen to his older brother bragging around the dinner table.

Playing a huge part in Sale’s 48-10 win over Harlequins at the start of the new year, James says that he expects a completely different West London side to turn up at the AJ Bell this weekend for what should be a hotly contested Cup Final.

“I reckon everyone at the club thinks that they will be a different team this time,” James said, “They got on the wrong side of the result that day, by quite a big margin and they didn’t have quite their best performance, but that was due to us.

“I’m not sure we’ll be trying to replicate that Quins performance, but we will be trying to replicate the score line. The confidence is high around the club with the wins we have had building up to this weekend, so I think we are close to playing our peak rugby, so that’s good.”

With some five years separating Luke James from his older brother, the pair actually never played together in a team until they were with the senior Sale Sharks side. With that being the case, Luke says that he treated his older brother the same as he did all his new teammates at the time.

“I’d never really played with him before, so he was just a new teammate, same as the other players were,” James explained, “Obviously, I knew a bit more about him as we played in the garden together and at the local rugby clubs.

“I didn’t, and haven’t, put that much thought into it. I’d never played a game with him before that, so he was just a new teammate in that

The brothers’ good form has coincided with Sharks’ good run of results too.

Having lost just once in the last five games, Sale currently sit fourth in the Premiership table, with James saying that a play-off run is very realistic for him and his teammates.

“I think it’s very realistic for us,” James said, “I think if we can keep going how we are now, I know there is still a bit left of the season, but if we can keep going how we are at the moment, there is no reason we shouldn’t make the play-offs.”

With several members of the Sale Academy stepping into the matchday 23 and an incredibly competitive wider squad, James says that the Sharks environment is the best that he has experienced in his time as a professional.

“It is good to be in, obviously it has been getting better and better over years,” James said, “So, when I joined three years ago, we had a good season, but didn’t quite keep the consistency in it and it was a similar story last year. It is good to be in a happy camp.

“We know we can play the kind of rugby we want and get the results we want. It has been even better this year, just to get the consistency, it just makes for a much happier training ground.”

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BOLL BOLL 257 257 08/19 08/20

PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CUP BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER AWARD

TOMMY REFFELL

LEICESTER TIGERS FLANKER TOMMY REFFELL HAS ADDED HIS NAME TO AN ILLUSTRIOUS LIST AFTER WINNING THE PREMIERSHIP RUGBY CUP BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER AWARD FOLLOWING A PUBLIC VOTE. Launched in 2012, the Breakthrough Player Award celebrates and recognises under-23 players who have stood out in the tournament, with previous winners including the likes of Jack Nowell and Jonny May, while last year’s gong was taken home by James Grayson as he led Northampton Saints to the title.

Using OPTA Rugby match statistics, a forward and back from each round, along with two players with outstanding overall competition statistics, were chosen to form a ten-man shortlist that was opened to a fan vote.

And Reffell was shortlisted following his performance in Leicester Round Three Premiership Rugby Cup clash, an 18-7 victory over Bath Rugby.

At The Rec that afternoon Reffell put in an impressive shift in defence, making 18 tackles

– a tally only five players could better across Round Three – and winning a round-high three turnovers for his side.

Although he had limited opportunities with ball in hand the 20-year-old gained 24 metres from just two carries, while he also capped his display off with Refell featured in all four of Leicester Tigers’ pool games, starting three times in the back row while he came off the bench in a 27-7 home win over Exeter Chiefs.

He helped Leicester win two of those clashes as they just missed out on a semi-final spot, finishing second in Pool 3 with ten points.

And Reffell’s performances in the Premiership Rugby Cup saw him make his Gallagher Premiership Rugby debut in an opening day loss to Worcester Warriors.

To date Reffell has made ten League appearances – including

four starts – and had an impressive 97% tackle success rate heading into Round 13 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby action.

In winning the public vote, Reffell receives a watch courtesy of Citizen Watch UK is delighted to be the official Timekeeper of Premiership Rugby.

Bristol Bears’ Will Capon finished second in the voting, while Fraser Dingwall of Northampton Saints was third.

THE FULL SHORTLIST WAS: Aaron Hinckley – Gloucester Rugby Gabriel Ibitoye – Harlequins Sean Reffell – Saracens Ollie Lawrence – Worcester Warriors Tommy Reffell – Leicester Tigers Manu Vunipola – Saracens Will Capon – Bristol Bears Fraser Dingwall – Northampton Saints Will Evans – Harlequins Ben Loader – London Irish

PREMIERSHIP RUGBY IS ON A MISSION TO IMPROVE THE LIVES AND PROSPECTS OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS ENGLAND – WITH THE TACKLING HEALTH PROGRAMME DOING EXACTLY THAT! The Tackling Health programme is an interactive project for children aged seven to eight which takes a holistic approach to teaching children about their own health, wellbeing and about leading a healthy lifestyle with a rugby focus.

Delivered nationally by Premiership Rugby clubs across England, and in partnership with the Greggs Foundation, the key aims of the project are to improve young people’s understanding of what constitutes healthy eating and a healthy diet and to increase levels of physical activity.

Rugby’s diversity makes it the perfect vehicle to drive a healthy and activity-led initiative. As a sport, rugby can offer playing opportunities and role models to children no matter what their ability or background. The interactive programme takes a rounded approach to teaching children about leading a healthy lifestyle.

Delivering changes that ensures all British children live healthy and active lifestyles requires an approach which can pass on information and inspiration to eat more healthily; tackles inactivity by promoting fundamentals of movement; and teams up with children, teachers, parents and professional sport to make changes in the long term.

The 2018-19 season saw Tackling Health delivered to nearly

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15,000 participants in over 520 classroom across the country.

Nearly 3000 children were surveyed and the results are:

More than 150 teachers were surveyed and the results are:

53% of children now eat 5 or more prices of fruit and vegetables a day compared to 36% at the beginning of the programme

63% think the programme has been extremely effective in enhancing the classroom experience of the class.

99% think the programme was extremely/quite effective in making the national curriculum objectives around food and healthy eating more fun 89% think the programme was extremely/quite effective at enhancing the national curriculums physical activity objectives in their school 99% would recommend the programme to another teacher

70% of children are able to identify the two food groups you should eat the most of 94% of children want to take part in more sport or activity having taken part in the programme

GET INVOLVED Tackling Health is part of Premiership Rugby Champions – an interactive cross-curriculum-based digital app for Primary School teachers to help inspire learning outcomes across the curriculum whilst developing digital literacy and crucial life skills.

Developed by teachers for teachers, the app hosts FREE resources, initially tackling health, with numeracy and character coming soon. With digital literacy outcomes at the heart of all content, Premiership Rugby Champions will provide you with themed lesson plans and materials for use in the classroom and outside, using the inspirational role models of Premiership Rugby Clubs to connect pupils’ learning to the world around them.

Simply search for Premiership Rugby Champions on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

SALE SHARKS PARTNERSHIP WITH PREMIERSHIP RUGBY AND GREGGS HAS GONE FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH THIS YEAR THROUGH ITS DELIVERY OF THE SUCCESSFUL TACKLING HEALTH PROGRAMME.

Sale Sharks and Greggs. The children love the sessions and have learned a lot about healthy lifestyles. The new ‘Champions App’ has made it even more accessible and its great that we can use it when the coaches can’t be here.”

Wayne Morris, Premiership Rugby Community and Corporate Responsibility Director, commented: “We felt it was time we stood up and tried to use our skills and assets to try to help children adopt healthier lifestyles. If we can help teachers, parents and kids improve their understanding of food and diet and also build more activity and sport into their lives, we will have done something important.

Delivered free to schools that are part of the Greggs Breakfast School programme, the interactive programme takes a rounded approach to teaching children about leading a healthy lifestyle. The key aims of the project are to improve young people’s understanding of what constitutes healthy eating and a healthy diet and to increase levels of physical activity and rugby’s diversity makes it the perfect vehicle to drive a healthy and activity-led initiative. As a sport, rugby offers role models and active opportunities to children no matter what their ability or background.

Tracy Lynch, Greggs Foundation Manager, added: “Greggs Foundation has a long-standing history of making a difference in local communities. We are delighted that Tackling Health has become a nationwide project which, thanks to clubs like Sale Sharks, offers thousands of

children the opportunity to learn more about making healthier food choices and getting active through playing tag rugby.”

This season, coaches at Sharks Community Trust have worked with over 1000 children at 19 schools in Liverpool, Burnley, Bolton, Blackburn, Preston, Manchester, Oldham and Crewe. This is more areas than ever before as schools and Sharks really are Tackling Health Together.

The Tackling Health programme is one part of Premiership Rugby Champions and this year has seen the development of an exciting digital app, ‘Premiership Rugby Champions’, that covers both digital literacy as well as physical education.

Paul Naylor, Year 6 teacher at Gaskell Primary School in Bolton, said, “We have really enjoyed being part of the Tackling Health programme with

Sharks Community Trust School Manager, Jo Edwards, said, “We have a fantastic team of coaches who work in schools across the North West. The Tackling Health programme is the perfect way to help the children learn about balanced diets, healthy choices and physical activity. The children all love learning how to make healthy sandwiches and how playing sports like rugby can help them to stay healthy.”

Every programme ends with a Rugby Festival at AJ Bell Stadium when the children can put their healthy lifestyles to the test and practice their new rugby skills at the home of Sale Sharks.

To find out more about Sharks Community Trust and the Tackling Health programme, please visit www.salesharks.com.

N A V R E K K A E W R E M R E D

? y r o m e m y b g u r r t s o e f b r u m o a y h s n i e t k c i Wha w T t a g n i y a s l n P a i r a b r a B e th ? k c i r t y t r a p r u o y s ’ t a m r Wh o w e h t g n i o D e t i r u o v a f r s u ’ o d y l s a i t n a o Wh D c M ? l a e m t a che y n a e v ? a e h b d t l i u d o l c u o u o w t a If y h w r e w o p r h e t p g u n s e r t s r e p Su d l u o c u o y d o o f s e One v i l O ? t a e r e s nev k r a h S e l a S a n i n i w d l u o w Who ? e s l b p i l m l i u r h l P a ’ y y ro z l l i h P ‘ s e m a J ? r a c m a e r D r u o y O s i S I t a F h r W o t p a R d r Fo

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Sale Sharks produced a scintillating attacking display to dismantle Harlequins at the AJ Bell stadium on a Friday night, securing a place in the Gallagher Premiership top four as the league breaks for the Heineken Champions Cup.

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