WHEN England returned from the southern Hemisphere to lick their wounds, the Sale trio of Pat Sander

These are encouraging time at Fortress North, a top four finish must be a minimum ambition.

With new signings Czech Republic international star Jan Machachek and Barrie-Jon Mather, who will be joining the club in January, they are ready to set the Allied Dunbar premiership alight with attacking and free-flowing rugby.

The now-established fly-half Baxendell, in harness with Kevin Ellis at scrum half ensure that the backs are bristling with talent.

Beim, and a fit David Rees will no doubt provide speed on the flanks, with Shane Howarth and Adrian Hadley rounding things off in the centre, the icing on the cake is already there.

Consistency has always been a problem for Sale. It is widely known that they can beat anyone on their day. The difficulty will be finding enough 'Sale' days to pose a threat to the big guns.

Commenting recently, Director of Rugby John Mitchell said, "We believe that signing only a couple of players during the summer is a massive vote of confidence in the squad we already have. In order to ensure that injuries do not affect us greatly, we hope that the side now has enough depth. The players have always been the key to any club going forward.

"Last season, the squad lacked harmony. This noticeably improved after Simon Mannix was transfer-listed.

"Having put this behind us, we are all looking forward to the new season, and the very least we owe the fans and our sponsors is a successful season."

Out of all the fixtures this season, Sale will be looking to take points from the likes of Newcastle, Saracens, Bath, Leicester, and Richmond, the sides which finished above them last season.

Out of all these title contenders, Mitch rates Saracens as 'the team to beat'.

"In respect of both their on-field and off-field activities, Saracens are years ahead of everyone else, in both their outlook and overall professionalism.

"Having said that, the likes of Bath, Leicester, and Newcastle will, of course, be pushing as hard as we are."

To all involved in rugby at the moment, there is the niggling doubt that, with so many friendly fixtures to be played, teams will not field full-strength sides, considering there are no premiership points to fight for.

However, Mitch assures that Cardiff and Swansea will be paid full respect.

Discussing the fixture list, and the late publication of it, Mitch said, "In a way, it has been quite easy to prepare for this season, quite easy to create momentum."

"To be honest, the lads don't really care who they are playing, just as long as they are playing at home twice a month, in order to provide the fans with as much entertainment as possible.

WHEN England returned from the southern Hemisphere to lick their wounds, the Sale trio of Pat Sanderson, Jos Baxendell and Tom Beim were able to hold their heads up higher than most.

Their performances permitted John Mitchell, the England assistant coach, a rare smile as he girds his Sale side for a season in which the club can afford to aim high.

These are encouraging time at Fortress North, a top four finish must be a minimum ambition.

With new signings Czech Republic international star Jan Machachek and Barrie-Jon Mather, who will be joining the club in January, they are ready to set the Allied Dunbar premiership alight with attacking and free-flowing rugby.

The now-established fly-half Baxendell, in harness with Kevin Ellis at scrum half ensure that the backs are bristling with talent.

Beim, and a fit David Rees will no doubt provide speed on the flanks, with Shane Howarth and Adrian Hadley rounding things off in the centre, the icing on the cake is already there.

Consistency has always been a problem for Sale. It is widely known that they can beat anyone on their day. The difficulty will be finding enough 'Sale' days to pose a threat to the big guns.

Commenting recently, Director of Rugby John Mitchell said, "We believe that signing only a couple of players during the summer is a massive vote of confidence in the squad we already have. In order to ensure that injuries do not affect us greatly, we hope that the side now has enough depth. The players have always been the key to any club going forward.

"Last season, the squad lacked harmony. This noticeably improved after Simon Mannix was transfer-listed.

"Having put this behind us, we are all looking forward to the new season, and the very least we owe the fans and our sponsors is a successful season."

Out of all the fixtures this season, Sale will be looking to take points from the likes of Newcastle, Saracens, Bath, Leicester, and Richmond, the sides which finished above them last season.

Out of all these title contenders, Mitch rates Saracens as 'the team to beat'.

"In respect of both their on-field and off-field activities, Saracens are years ahead of everyone else, in both their outlook and overall professionalism.

"Having said that, the likes of Bath, Leicester, and Newcastle will, of course, be pushing as hard as we are."

To all involved in rugby at the moment, there is the niggling doubt that, with so many friendly fixtures to be played, teams will not field full-strength sides, considering there are no premiership points to fight for.

However, Mitch assures that Cardiff and Swansea will be paid full respect.

Discussing the fixture list, and the late publication of it, Mitch said, "In a way, it has been quite easy to prepare for this season, quite easy to create momentum."

"To be honest, the lads don't really care who they are playing, just as long as they are playing at home twice a month, in order to provide the fans with as much entertainment as possible."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.