Marc Jones Interview

The Welsh hooker, who was a key part of the Sale squad between 2005 and 2015, rejoined the Sharks in June after spending the previous two seasons playing with Bristol.

Marc experienced the full spectrum of emotions during his time at Bristol, being a key part of the side that won promotion from the Championship in 2016 but then suffering the bitter disappointment of relegation back out of the top flight last term.

He says his experiences while playing at Bristol only helped to further his rugby education but admits the chance to return to Sale and re-establish his special bond with the Sharks was impossible to resist.

"Home will always be the valleys but it got to the point after moving to Bristol where I found that I was missing Manchester more than anywhere," the 30-year-old admitted.

"Having come through the Academy system at Sale, I've seen some great years in Manchester.

"I've lived and breathed this club for a long time and I think once you've been somewhere for a long time there's always that special pull that keeps drawing you back.

"I've got a lot of feeling for this club and I'm just so happy that I'm back and that the club is heading in the right direction."

A warrior on the field and a key presence in the Sharks dressing room, Marc has carried on where he left off with a series of explosive, combative performances in Sale's first five games of the season.

And the Pontypridd-born forward is adamant he has come back to a club that is poised to embark on a successful future.

"So far everything has been very positive off the field," said Marc.

"If you look at our first couple of games in the Premiership we had a good win against Irish and we played really well against Gloucester last Friday.

"We've also had a couple of games where we probably haven't done ourselves justice on the playing front.

"But everything off the field is really positive and is definitely going in the right direction which is really pleasing.

"On the back of coming off a difficult season with Bristol, it almost feels quite refreshing and positive to have come back into an environment that I'm familiar with and that I really enjoy.

"So it's great to be back."

Marc Jones is sponsored by Bentley Manchester.