Dan Braid has the appetite to satisfy Sale hunger
Since arriving in the UK on January 1, celebrating New Year’s Eve across two different time zones on the way, the Kiwi has turned in a number of outstanding performances and proved to be one of the signings of the season.
The former Auckland Blues Super 15 player has brought a hugely competitive edge to the relegation-threatened Sharks, who are now one step away from a first final appearance in seven years and better placed than ever in their battle to avoid the dreaded drop.
Sale take on Saracens at the Salford City Stadium today, knowing that a repeat of the pool win they achieved against the same opposition at the same venue back in November would see them through to the final of the LV= Cup.
For a driven personality like Braid falling at the final hurdle is not an option.
“I hate losing, that’s why I play sport and that’s why I have been doing it for so long. I love being in a competitive environment,” he told The Rugby Paper.
“I do get really competitive, even at home with my wife over little things like computer games. And at the club, when all the boys get together for a feed, for example, we see who can eat the most.”
Sale have been starved of success since lifting the Premiership trophy in 2006, and Braid has himself gone a number of years without a winner’s medal.
“It’s been a little while,” the 32-year-old admitted. “In 2007, when I was with Auckland we won the ITM Cup after going through the competition undefeated.
“And, before I came over to the UK Auckland lost in the ITM final to Canterbury.
“We had a young side but beat Wellington away in the semi-final to give me the opportunity to play in my 100th game.
“Even though we lost, I was happy with the way things finished up there.
“It’s always great to be involved in cup final football, with all the adrenaline and excitement that builds up going into a game; it is great to be experiencing that again with Sale.”
Braid wants Sale to use the semi-final as not only a route to silverware but an opportunity to rediscover the form that won them back-to-back league games against Exeter and London Welsh.
He said: “We’ve had a bit of a dip in our own form including a very poor game against Leicester last weekend.
“That was a real step backwards for us and possibly a kick up the backside. So we could use this game against Saracens, a big one-off match, to get some confidence back.
“But that’s not taking away from the fact that it is a big semi-final at home.”
Braid is happily settled in the north-west with his wife and young daughter.
So much so that he recently signed a new two-year deal. “Yes, I have committed to the club,” he replied when asked if the length of his contract will still apply even in the event of the club being relegated.
“I wanted to stay because I can see the positives and the potential within the squad.
“There are some awesome young players coming through, and that is complemented well with the experience of someone like Mark Cueto and the talent of Danny Cipriani.
“As a family we’ve settled in well, there’s a good bunch of guys here at Sale, and I’m really enjoying playing in the Premiership; it’s an outstanding level of rugby.”
JON NEWCOMBE
