SKIPPER-elect Jono Ross believes Sale Sharks will be all the stronger next season if they take on board the lessons of a roller-coaster 2017/18 campaign.

After being within touching distance of the top-four in early April, a frustrating finish to the season saw the Sharks ultimately edged out of the top six.

But as he both reflected on a dramatic season and looked ahead to the 2018/19 campaign, the back-row enforcer – who will captain the club next term following the departure of Will Addison to Ulster – said the foundations had been laid for long-term success.

Ross told the club's website: "We need to start learning from games.

"Hopefully this year we have laid some good foundations.

"We need to be better and we need to learn in these pressure games.

"You only learn from playing these sorts of games so hopefully next year we can come back stronger.

"And this is the first squad I've been involved in where, when I look around the dressing room, so many of the guys are towards the bottom of the age range which is also really good for the future."