Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson says he is “super proud” that his Gallagher Premiership finalists are flying the flag for rugby union in the north of England.
And Sanderson believes a sold-out AJ Bell Stadium that provided an inspired soundtrack to Sale’s pulsating play-off victory over Leicester must be viewed as just the start of their journey.
Sale play within 23 miles of five Super League clubs – Salford, Leigh, St Helens, Warrington and Wigan – while Old Trafford is just four miles down the road and Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium only a further five miles away.
It represents a congested sporting picture, but Sale have put themselves firmly on the map by reaching a first Premiership final for 17 years, with Saracens awaiting them at Twickenham on May 27.
“My job is to get them (players) to perform and play well at the weekend – that is my first priority – but there are many different hats to wear,” Sanderson said.
“And I am so proud of the fact that, potentially, our reach in the north is expanding.
“There are bigger crowds coming and the buzz is better. It’s busier, it’s a ‘Brucie bonus’. It is a humbling addition to the role in that you might be inspiring some kid to pick up a ball.
“I remember The North playing New Zealand when I was a kid. You know what I mean? Right now, we are flying the flag, and yes, I am super proud of that.
“I can’t talk too much about it because I start to cry and get too emotional.
“To come home, to this team – the team I played for and captained, that my brother played for, that my dad played against – it’s a bit of a dream.
“It feels like the start. I’m pumped, but I will think about the future in two weeks’ time. We have got a job to do before then.”
Sale fly-half George Ford, who played for Leicester when they defeated Saracens in the final a year ago, mirrors Sanderson’s view on building a northern stronghold.
Oldham-born Ford has won more than 80 England caps, playing on many of the sport’s biggest stages, and he is enthused by Sale’s future – on and off the pitch.
Ford said: “We speak about it all the time in that one of our reasons why is to make the people up here proud and interested in rugby union.
“To come out and support us, but more importantly for the kids to come out and pick up a rugby ball and start playing up here.
“It is obviously challenging with football and rugby league, but we are doing our utmost to have an effect on these young kids.
“Rugby union up here has got its challenges, as we all know. All we can do as a club is perform well, try to win games, fill the place out and try to entertain these people, give them a winning team that care and compete.
“We want to inspire the kids as well. The amount of kids you saw out there with smiles on their faces – ultimately, that’s what it is about.
“When we have finished and are long gone from the game, they are the people that will come in and take the game forward.
“If we can inspire kids to come and play up here – northern lads playing for Sale – that is what we want.”
Smith not pinning blame on Ford for England loss
Marcus Smith does not blame England's narrow defeat to New Zealand on Saturday on George Ford, despite his late missed kicks.
Ford replaced Smith, who had scored 17 points and set up England's only try in their 24-22 loss, hitting a potential match-winning penalty against the post before narrowly missing a drop goal.
England had held an eight-point advantage when Smith left the field, but Mark Tele'a's 76th-minute try before Damian McKenzie added five late points proved enough to get the All Blacks over the line.
The hosts' autumn series got off to a losing start as Ford struggled to find his clinical edge in the dying moments, but Smith does not lay any blame at his team-mate's feet.
"Sometimes that's the life of a kicker, we've all experienced that. It's part and parcel of the job," said Smith.
"I've learned so much off George. He's an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.
"It's nothing to do with him why we didn't win the game. It's a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that.
"We practise [drop-goals] as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn't go for you. We're all human and people miss."
Saturday marked a third consecutive narrow loss to New Zealand for England, with their last win an emphatic victory over Japan in June.
Despite that run, Smith remains confident that England can take lessons from these defeats to set themselves up for success in the future.
"International rugby is very different to the Premiership and the experiences we're experiencing now are very painful, but we'll be better for them," Smith added.
"Keep the faith. We've fallen again on the wrong side of the result, but we'll learn from it 100%.
"These experiences will tighten us as a group, and it will be worth it in the long run. We will be better for it."
England 'banging on the door' of rugby's elite, says proud Borthwick
Steve Borthwick reckons England are "banging on the door" of the elite nations after their close loss to New Zealand.
England went down 24-22 to the All Blacks in Saturday's Test match at Twickenham.
Mark Tele'a scored the decisive try for New Zealand, who beat England twice in July, in the 76th minute.
England missed the chance to win it late on when George Ford missed a drop-goal attempt, after he had struck the post with a penalty.
But coach Borthwick, who was immensely proud of his team, feels England showed they are capable of mixing it with the best teams in the world, despite losing four of their last five Tests.
"It is a mixture of immense pride at the performance against a very tough New Zealand team and one of incredible disappointment," Borthwick told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"They are the emotions we balance and will work through over the next few days.
"When we started two years ago we wanted to get England right to the top of world rugby again. You can see the team banging on the door."
With the pre-match build-up having been dominated by Joe Marler's jibe at New Zealand's pre-match haka routine, tries from Tele'a and Will Jordan put New Zealand in control.
Marcus Smith's penalties kept England in contention, though, and he set up the hosts' only try when he intercepted a loose pass and teed up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
Yet England ultimately failed to hold on to an eight-point advantage, with Ford having to be consoled by his team-mates after the match.
Next up for England are Australia, with fixtures against South Africa and Japan also in store.
"We really have to find a way of winning these close ones," said captain Jamie George. "We put ourselves in a really good position after 60 minutes.
"Eight points is a lot in Test match rugby but we probably went chasing the game a bit and gave away too many penalties. We have to be smarter in that respect."
England walked up to the halfway line to face the haka, something George explained was planned prior to Marler's comments.
"That was always our plan before Joe's comments but we did it in a respectful way," said George. "I saw a smile on Scott Barrett’s face, I was smiling, and it was done in good spirits."
England aiming to be one of 'world's best' teams, says Earl
England have aspirations of greatness, asserted Ben Earl as he prepares to face New Zealand in a friendly at Twickenham.
The 26-year-old was optimistic about the progress England had made under Steve Borthwick despite registering two losses at the hands of the All Blacks in July.
England will be seeking revenge after losing the second match of the test in a devastatingly close 16-15 defeat. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso had scored a try to put England ahead after scores had been tied 10-10 at half-time, but two penalty kicks from Damian McKenzie ended their hopes.
Earl, however, believes the heartbreak has given his country an opportunity to develop.
“I think it’s an experience all the big teams go through, you have to go through some heartache to get over the line,” he told TNT Sports.
“It just feels like it’s the evolution of all the top teams, and we are a team that wants to be known as a great team, some of the world’s best.
“So we know the heartache is good for a while, but it’s time to go and do it at the right time. We got a glimpse of it against Ireland last year, and we feel we are due one, and we have learnt some really hard lessons over the summer, so we feel we are in a better place for it.
“We have always said you don’t win easily against us and that’s something we have developed over the last 18 months with Steve’s mindset and the boys getting hold of it, and now I feel it’s time to get over the line in one of these big games.”
New Zealand have won their last three matches, having defeated Japan and secured a double over Australia. They struggled against reigning world champions South Africa, however, as they failed to exact revenge on the Springboks in late summer tests falling to defeat twice.
Undoubtedly, the All Blacks still represent some of the best talent in the world, with Earl expected to line up opposite New Zealand’s superstar Wallace Sititi.
“There’s stardust littered all over the pitch isn’t there? There’s some pretty cool match-ups; it just feels like a game that isn’t going to disappoint,” he said.
England won’t be overawed, though. Instead, they aim to make their west London home a fortress for visiting sides to travel to.
“[Twickenham is] a place where we want to be really, really hard to beat. And we’ve always said in the camp, if you want to beat us at Twickenham you are going to have to be over and above the norm,” Earl said.
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