The theory goes that teams seeking European success must first encounter failures and in the case of Sale it could just work in their favour on Sunday. Alex Sanderson’s side are the considerable underdogs when they face Racing 92 in their space-age stadium in Paris but, having fallen in France in the quarter-finals last season, Sale are hoping previous heartache will equip them to overcome one the favourites for the title.
The aforementioned theory was repeatedly referenced by Saracens at the time they would reach the knockout stages, then the final in 2014, before lifting the title in 2016. They would call it “pounding the rock” – the idea being that it will eventually break – and if Sanderson is getting tired of talking about his European glory days with Sarries, there are lessons to be learned.
In addition, Sale have this week been seeking permission to take control of the giant screen at one end of Racing’s La Defense arena and play motivational videos during their hour-long captain’s run there on Saturday. The idea is that catching yourself on a giant screen can be distracting if it is something you have not encountered before and Sale want to leave no stone unturned in their preparation to face Finn Russell et al.
“I don’t think you have to [lose before you can win] but I think it is proven that most teams find it difficult, or statistically speaking there is an element of learning,” said Sanderson. “Of being able to not be distracted by the occasion, by the noise. The more you get used to it the less stressful it is.
“If you have won once or twice before, and realise it doesn’t really matter in terms of your culture, your security of your job livelihood, it has less of an effect of stress and you are able to perform better for longer and make better decisions. There is the neuroscience behind it. The more you do it, the better you adapt to it, the less stressful it is, the better you perform. So I guess there is truth in it. If you have done it, been there before, you have got a better chance of doing better the time after.”
Helping Sale’s cause, Tom Curry makes his first start for the club since picking up a hamstring injury during the Six Nations while Manu Tuilagi is back in the side, having been rested for last weekend’s victory over Newcastle.
“He is well primed. Manu is an English-Samoan thoroughbred,” added Sanderson. “It was purely conservational on Manu’s part last week, just to keep him fresh and not risk injury and make sure his loading is up there. He is better than he would have been if he had played last week.”
Dean Richards, meanwhile, is to step down as Newcastle’s director of rugby at the end of the season but will continue in a consultancy role. Richards has spent the last decade at Kingston Park as part of a managerial career that began in 1998 and has included successful spells at Leicester, Grenoble and Harlequins.
