James: We’ll just keep improving
Lifelong Sale Sharks fan Sam James is hoping his side go one step further next season and lift the Premiership to pave the way for the next generation of players from the North West.
James was in attendance for Sale’s semi-final win over Wasps in 2006 and watched Jason Robinson and co secure the club’s maiden crown with family members at his grassroots club, Manchester RUFC.
The 29-year-old centre says watching them be crowned champions of England inspired him to take up the sport.
“I remember when I was 12-13 ball boying at Sale games looking up at players that won the Premiership and at the time wanting to be there one day,” James told The Rugby Paper. “It was an incredible achievement and a great day to celebrate that made me want to become a rugby player.”
The Sale marketing department have made a big effort in their ‘Northern Rugby Matters’ campaign and with homegrown players flourishing at the Premiership finalists, the Sharks are scrapping hard for their share in a crowded sporting market.
He said: “We’ve got some stiff competition with rugby league and the football teams but the whole Sale Sharks commercial staff, playing squad and coaches have done a massive job in putting us out there and growing the game.
“You go to any local side on a Sunday morning and it’s thriving, so it’s about giving kids confidence and a pathway to make memories in rugby. Rugby’s a great sport so it’s about getting people introduced to it and helping them understand why it’s such a loved game.”
Finishing second and having pushed Saracens all the way in the Premiership final, James feels Sale will only get stronger in the coming seasons.
He added: “I’ve supported this club since I was a kid so to be able to help them back to a final albeit a losing one was massive for where we want to go as a club.
“Hopefully this is the start of something special. We couldn’t thank the fans anymore, in the last three games of the season they produced the best atmosphere I’ve seen anywhere in any game let alone a Sale game. We hope to keep building on that and make the north a real fortress for us.
“We have a massive belief within the squad. With the game plan we’ve brought in both this year and next year, there’s no reason as to why we couldn’t do it. We want to take that next step next year and want to be above Saracens and finish top. We want to put ourselves in the best position to advance and similar to this year a home semi-final is beneficial for us and we want to be in that position again.” James, who started 18 games and scored six tries last season, is relishing the environment director of rugby Alex Sanderson, left, has created since taking over in January 2021.
James said: “The environment is relaxed, one where everyone’s opinion is valid and one with a really sharp focus.
“We focus on two to three things a week that we’re able to chase at the weekend and that’s driven from the management down. They make the message real clear of what we’re going after. We’re able to concentrate on the two main points for our own personal performance but then we have our own team performances that will help nail the job for whoever the opposition may be.”
■ Sam James was speaking as Spabreaks.com, the UK’s leading spa booking and experience agency, launch their Men’s Health Week campaign “Real Men Relax”, to highlight the benefits of spa to men of all trades. For more info, visit www.spabreaks.com
