Diamond reflects on disappointing season

Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond admits he's learned some harsh lessons after a dismal season in the Premiership and Europe.

The Sharks cannot finish any higher than 10th on the table and suffered their 14th defeat of the domestic campaign last week at Leicester.

Looking back on the campaign Diamond feels he passed on too much responsibility to the players and thinks that was the wrong thing to do.

"I am disappointed with my running of the place over the last seven or eight months," he told BBC Radio Manchester's Rugby Union Extra.

"I've sat back a little bit and let players talk and that is not the way we do things and we've worked that one out.

"Players that came in didn't gel as soon as we would have expected them to and I'm to blame for a lot of that, not doing as much homework as I should have done.

"If the skill set is letting you down through poor selection from me, then I have to take quite a lot responsibility as a whole."

Sale named number eight Josh Beaumont as their captain this term but injury hampered his season, with Diamond set to rethink the role.

"I think there will be a change," he added.

"I think Josh has had a good year and played pretty well under duress with a couple of niggling injuries.

"We forget that he's a young lad with a big name and expectations are high but he is capable of fulfilling those expectations.

"Maybe we could have helped him more in certain areas and we're all guilty of expectation. I think he'll come through it as a far better player, decision maker and tougher mentally."