It's difficult to identify possible replacements from around the league should Tommy Taylor leave due to the lack of concrete contract information pertaining to players available. However one player I would place an emphasis on attempting to lure to Sale is Newcastle's George McGuigan.
A 22-year-old with a growing body of work in the Premiership, McGuigan would be an excellent long-term replacement for Taylor, both due to his impressive potential that has seen both the Irish and English unions expressing an interest in having him represent their respective countries and his combination of youth and top-level experience that would allow him to thrive in a larger starting role from next season onwards. Leicester and Munster have both been rumoured to be interested in signing McGuigan suggesting an imminent departure from the North-East could be feasible.
I'm very high on Mark Jennings but I do not believe his distribution skills are quite at the standard yet to be an elite Premiership inside centre whilst Sam Tuitupou's form has declined significantly in effectiveness this season.
By process of elimination then that leaves Johnny Leota who make no mistake is more suited to play inside centre - as he does for Samoa - than outside to take the no.12 shirt. If Sale had any serviceable depth on the wings, Will Addison - who is a superior player to Sam James at this stage of their respective careers - would be my preferred partner for Leota in Sale's midfield. However Addison is too important - and talented - in the 14 shirt to be moved off the wing which leaves Sam James to take the outside centre position. Although still a very raw talent, James has all the ability and skills to become an elite player and increased Premiership exposure will do the 21-year-old good, especially since he has the highest ceiling of any current member of Sale's backline.
Possibly but I fear the Sharks' failure to beat Harlequins, Gloucester, and Newcastle - even so early in their campaign - is inexcusable and will cost them dearly as the season progresses since few other sides have struggled as much as the Sharks have so far in 2015/16.
Granted, there is still a lot of rugby to be played, but Sale dug themselves into a hole so deep, so early in the year, I fear they will struggle to get out of between now and May, and that means a lower mid-table finish.
To win the Challenge Cup, Sale would have to redistribute and refocus their playing resources away from the Premiership and commit themselves fully to playing their absolute strongest side in Europe.
However given Sale's perilous financial position, declining attendances and the decreased allure of the Challenge Cup, it is not a decision I believe the club should - or would - take. It is however Sale's best chance at qualifiying for the Champions Cup in 2016-17. See above.
I'm glad this came up as I was hoping to address it as a sub-section for today's piece.
Today's Telegraph ran an article confirming Danny Cipriani has rejected an offer from France and refused to break a clause in his contract to terminate his contract with Sale a season early. This is obviously fantastic news for Sale especially as it suggests positive noise vis-a-vis player retention and recruitment behind the scenes as an auxiliary to Cipriani's hopes of earning international recognition. That said even if Cipriani is staying - and who even knew he was possibly leaving? - Sale do need to address their fly-half stocks. Joe Ford and Nick MacLeod are not Premiership quality no.10s and the Sharks would be wise to invest in a better backup fly-half and promote Tom Morton ahead of next season Follow @SharkTankRugby on Twitter for more news, analysis and opinions on all things Sale Sharks.
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