Former Leinster head coach Matt Williams has spoken about the need for Leinster to ‘smash Sale Sharks in the quarter-final of the Champions Cup.
The sides will square off in the Aviva Stadium this Saturday evening, with the Irish province seen as favourites to progress in the competition.
Leinster appear to be building in the competition, as they looked impressive in attack against Edinburgh in the previous round, as their internationals have seemingly rediscovered their form during the Six Nations, while the English club have had a tough campaign in the PREM this season, and things have not got easier with injuries to key players Luke Cowan-Dickie and Bevan Rodd in their victory over Harlequins last weekend adding to their already long list of absentees.
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Leo Cullen’s side are expected to take full advantage against Alex Sanderson’s injury-stricken side on Saturday.
Williams appears to have no sympathy for Sale in his Irish Times column, as he took aim at English sides, including Sharks, fielding understrength squads in the competition since the change in its format.
The Australian said: “In a pool match, Sale were trounced by Toulouse 77-7. There is nothing lucky about all those 7s for Sale. It was an utter humiliation and not just on the scoreboard.
“Regrettably, in away pool stage games of the Champions Cup, many English clubs, including Sale, now run up the white flag and surrender these matches by selecting a second XV.
“With only a 50 per cent winning ratio in the pool stages and a points differential of -38, it is a fact that under the old six-game pool system, Sale would not have qualified for a quarter-final.”
Williams believes these actions from Sale are disrespectful to the competition and that he would like to see sides like Sanderson’s that field understrength teams embarrassed on the pitch.
He said: “While clubs that select weakened teams for away matches deserve the beltings they get, from a personal perspective, as someone who deeply enjoyed and respected the significant challenges of the old Heineken Cup, I hope Leinster smash Sale.
“Not because I am pro Leinster, but because the actions of clubs like Sale show they do not care about their opponents’ finances, the away supporters or the integrity of the Champions Cup.
“There is an old saying in rugby that if you disrespect your opponent, you are inviting disappointment into your life.
“I hope after full time at the Aviva, the away dressing room is filled with deep and bitter disappointment. Clubs, like Sale, that game the system cannot be allowed to benefit from their cynical actions.”
Leinster are aiming to win their fifth Champions Cup this season and to do so in the venue, Bilbao, in which they lifted their last title in 2018; however, Sale will be looking to reach the semi-final of the competition for the first time.
Cullen’s side won the URC last season, an important piece of silverware for the club as they had gone a couple of seasons without experiencing the feeling of lifting a trophy.
Before they can get dreaming of achieving this campaign’s ambition, they will have to get Sale, and they cannot take them for granted, as that is when Sanderson’s side thrives.
Topics: Rugby, Rugby Union
Brendan McGilligan