Sale Sharks will face Leicester Tigers on Saturday needing to take just one point from the clash to clinch their first piece of silverware in nine years.
The Sharks are currently top of the Kings of the North table, on fifteen points with a 100% record, having beaten Newcastle Falcons twice and defeating the Tigers 38-5 at the AJ Bell Stadium a few weeks ago.
However none of the players are taking the title chance for granted and are well aware of the tough battle that lies in wait at Welford Road.
Scottish scrum-half Chris Cusiter said: “It would be nice to end up with some silverware in pre-season, however Welford Road, in my experience, is a tough place to go so if we can go down there and perform well and get a win, that would be great.
“It may be a pre-season game, but we are taking it very seriously and wanting to put in a good performance.”
Cusiter emphasised how vital this match will prove for Sharks as they build momentum heading into their first Premiership contest again Saracens next week.
“We have played a lot of rugby in pre-season, but now there’s a bit of competition for places, so the lads want to put in good performances and begin the season in the starting jersey.
“We want to perform and show all the hard work we’ve been doing in pre-season. We want to get reward from all the new patterns of play we’ve been practising.”
Josh Beaumont is also highly motivated by the side’s prospects of winning against Leicester Tigers on Saturday, agreeing with his teammate that winning a game away at Tigers will be no mean feat.
“I’m really excited by the chance of winning some silverware at the weekend and hopefully it will be the start of more to come.
“It will be like a Premiership game for both teams -it will be really good preparation for us.
“Although last Friday wasn’t one of our best performances, we are still three out of three in our pre-season games so we have that winning momentum which is key at this stage in the year and hopefully we can keep building it up.”
Fellow forward David Seymour reiterated how tough a venue Leicester is to play at but given Sale are on an upward curve, he’s confident of success.
“In this tournament, we’ve managed to progress and in each game, we seem to be getting better.
“It will be a big challenge to go there and try and win again and hopefully, that will put us in decent position for the season coming and also claim the trophy.”
Image courtesy of Sale Sharks via YouTube, with thanks.
