Steve Diamond hopes Sale ‘kick on’ against Exeter

David Skippers
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Sale Sharks boss Steve Diamond hopes his side’s poor performance against Harlequins was a dress rehearsal for a solid showing against Exeter this Friday.

Describing the Chiefs as the “best side” in the Premiership, Diamond is looking forward to facing off with the league leaders at the AJ Bell Stadium.

The league resumed last Friday with the Sharks in action at the Twickenham Stoop, but they suffered a 16-10 loss as they struggled for any real form.

Next up for Diamond’s team is a home clash with title rivals Exeter, who are eight points clear at the top of the table after a 26-13 win over Leicester.

He said: “We didn’t actually turn it on (against Harlequins), did we? We were disappointing to say the least.

“It might have been a dress rehearsal, well I hope it was, and we can kick on this weekend.”

Exeter have finished in the top two in each of the last four seasons and won the play-off final in 2017.

Diamond admitted the consistency Rob Baxter has been able to get out of his players is the aim for all clubs in the top flight.

“They play a very powerful game and when they don’t score from a pick and go, they have class outside backs who can score like they did at the weekend,” the Sale director of rugby added.

“They are definitely the best side in the competition and have been in the top two for the last five or six years and that is where everyone wants to be.”

Before Sale failed to reach top gear on the pitch at Harlequins, a lot of focus ahead of the fixture centred on how the clubs would support the Black Lives Matter movement.

All of the Harlequins players took a knee in a circle, but only four from the Sharks did, although every member of their starting XV wore a ‘Rugby against racism’ T-shirt.

Eight of Sale’s 11 not to take a knee were South African and this week the country’s minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, questioned why they did not take a knee.

But Diamond added: “I think there was four of our lot who took the knee, that’s their entitlement, and the rest didn’t.

“I think it’ll be a storm in a tea cup. We all wore the rugby against racism T-shirts, which we thought was important, but I don’t think it’s too much to worry about if I’m honest.”

 

Exeter Chiefs Steve Diamond