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.
