Retreat, rest, recuperate, recover, regroup.
Yes, we’re currently sitting seventh.
But we’re six points off second and we play five of the six teams above us over the remainder of the season, three at home. Consider also that we are on the same number of wins as all the teams above us except Northampton. The difference, of course, is that old bugbear: bonus points.
The gap between us and Harlequins and Bath is the difference in bonus points that we’ve accrued. Here’s the thing: imagine that, when we have our game against Bath, we’ve got all our injured players back and they’re all playing fluently again. Beat them with a bonus and deny them anything and we’re back above them.
Then do the same to Exeter; now we’re above them. And then Quins and…
You see how we could march up the table.
It’s that close.
Coming back to planet reality for a minute, all the above is critically dependent on overcoming the malaise that has been affecting the team since pretty much round one of the Prem Cup and that has worsened as the season has progressed.
I have no idea why the team appears to be in such dire straits. You could put forward all sorts of hypotheses for why this season has been such a struggle, none of which I’m going to give any time to, because I simply don’t – can’t – know what’s going on off the pitch.
What I will say, though, is something that the players and coaches – for political reasons – will never admit: the loss of a significant number of first-choice players simply has to have played some part in the loss of form, whether greater or lesser. That almost unprecedented rate of attrition will have had a knock-on effect on the rest since they will have had to shoulder more of the burden of twenty-something weeks of non-stop brutality.
If nothing else, this season has demonstrated the need for some rounds of the Prem Cup to be played in the autumn, even if there are no internationals. Perversely, I think we would have been in a better position now had we started the season a couple of weeks earlier, despite not having the internationals, and had a couple of rounds of Prem Cup to give them a bit of a break in November.
Maybe I’m clutching at straws here: trying to find external reasons, rather than admitting to a major problem internally. Except that the facts don’t seem to support the “internal problem” thesis. The team seem to be happy – that, or they’re all bloody good actors.
Also, I don’t think you need to look beyond those injuries to explain a dip in form from last season. Most of that dip has happened since we lost our two key looseheads. Bev and SiMac were sidelined at the start and then we lost Ross soon after. LCD has been in and out and TT has had his issues. We haven’t really made up for the loss of Coenie at tighthead, so Sharkey has had to take up the slack with the result that, on Sunday, he looked absolutely knackered.
We’ve now lost Jonny Hill, Tom Ellis and – it seems – Dan du Preez and Cobus Wiese to add to Tom Curry’s long-term injury and J-L’s however-long absence. You cannot lose the likes of Tom, Bev, Jonny, Cobus, J-L, SiMac, Ross and Tommy T from a pack and expect to play like you would with them.
There’s no Manu or O’Flats; Luke nearly made an appearance but was injured again before he got back out on the pitch. And then there’s Raffi…
Add to all that we had to play one last game before the break without George, Ben or Tom Roebuck.
And not to mention that the last game was on a bloody plastic pitch. The sooner they’re banned from the Premiership, the better as far as I am concerned.
So, we’ve had all these key players absent because of injury (or international call-ups): doesn’t that suggest a problem with fitness and conditioning?
I’d say not – at least, not entirely. Tom and Manu (first time) were injured on England duty. Bev’s seems to have been a bit of a freak accident and you can’t train for having 150kg of Aussie beef land on your foot. I’m blaming sodding plastic pitches directly and absolutely for Dan’s injury and possibly Birch’s.
So many of the injuries in the squad seem to have come from uncontrollable factors that one starts to suspect divine judgment.
This extended break is going to shape the latter half of the season. If we can get something approaching a first-team back together over the next six weeks, then we still have a chance of getting a decent finish: either top-four or a good Challenge Cup run (or both).
But if that doesn’t happen – if we can’t get enough key players fit to cover for the likes of Tom, Jonny and Dan – then I vote for throwing the kids at it, with a view to hardening them up for next season. Play Tumy and Asher and Bamber. Give Curtis his head, along with Alex Wills. Ricki and Connor Doc (if he’s fit – I don’t know the situation with him). If Raffi’s back, play him and Nye together. I’m not suggesting an entire team made of kids, but giving them (plenty of) game time to harden them. Make it known that this is about them and their contribution to the Sale Sharks of future seasons.
We’ll win some, we’ll lose some but, if those youngsters have proved anything, it’s that they deserve the chance to stand or fall. I think they’ll stand, perhaps bloodied but never bowed.
Anyway, I will try to shift my attention to the Six Nations and not worry about what I can’t control. Let the coaches and players use the next six weeks wisely and let’s see what comes out on the other side.
an old grey dog 