Sale Sharks stars Will Addison, Mike Haley and recent England debutant Josh Beaumont are not resting on their laurels going into the summer break, with all three hitting the gym to prepare themselves for pre-season.
Beaumont, son of England legend Bill Beaumont, enjoyed a stellar campaign at number eight for the Sharks, resulting in a first inclusion in Stuart Lancaster’s England setup for their summer tour, along with a Players’ Player of the Year award.
The 23-year-old is jetting off to Spain for some much needed respite over the summer, and spoke of his delight at representing his country, having marked his debut with a try at Twickenham in a 73-12 hammering of Barbarians.
“It was a great experience. I was pleased with my second half performance, and was elated to score a try. I was standing on the wing, and scored from a great bit of skill from Shane Geraghty!”
He is also looking forward to working with legendary Irish scrum-half Peter Stringer and former All Blacks lock Bryn Evans: “Stringer has been there and done it, and won the Heineken Cup with Munster so he should add a great deal to the club.
“Bryn is an experienced player, who has captained London Irish. The lads from Irish say he’s a good skilful player so I’m looking forward to working with him.”
22-year-old centre Addison has been putting his down time to good use with work experience at St.George’s Park, the English FA’s National Football Centre.
He is eager to get next season underway after a disappointing campaign blighted by injury.
He said: “I’m desperate to play again! Due to injuries I didn’t play too much last season, so I can’t wait to start playing for the first team at the AJ Bell. I am dreading pre-season though!”
Academy product Haley made a strong contribution at fullback last season, and with little planned over the summer, is looking forward to getting stuck into pre-season training under Head of Performance Adam Grainger.
He said: “I cannot wait to get underway in the Kings of the North tournament. I want to try and pick up the form from where I left off last season and get better.
“Pre-season actually gives me something to do, so I’m weirdly looking forward to it begin in a few weeks time!”
Like many of his Sale teammates, he is also eagerly anticipating the arrival of Stringer, who notched up 98 caps for Ireland over a glittering 11-year international career, and has now joined Sharks on a one-year deal.
“He will bring bags of experience to the side, so hopefully I will learn a lot from him.”
If you want to watch Beaumont, Stringer, Haley and Addison in action for the Sharks next season, season tickets for the AJ Bell Stadium are available on 0161 667 7512/7519, or you can email [email protected] with your name and number for a call back.
Image courtesy of World Rugby via YouTube, with thanks.
