Sale Sharks have 6 players involved in the Rugby World Cup. Below we breakdown their impact so far to whet the appetite of Sharks fans ahead of them returning post-tournament.
England
Table-toppers – England have gained maximum points from their opening games.
Tom Curry – Has further added to his repertoire by starting at blindside flanker against both Tonga and the USA. With 15 carries, 52 metres and 20 tackles, the youngster has been flawless in his unfamiliar role.
Mark Wilson – Returned to the lineup for England’s victory over the USA after missing the first game against Tonga. His burgeoning back-row partnership with Tom Curry is something all Sharks fans should keep a keen eye on.
South Africa
Second with 5 points with a must-win match against Italy coming up.
Faf De Klerk – started the first two of South Africa’s group games against New Zealand and Namibia. His consistent performances have earned him another start against Italy on Friday morning.
Lood De Jager – wasn’t included against New Zealand but delivered a man-of-the-match performance against Nambia in the next group game with 15 carries over 43 metres and 10 successful lineouts. The 6ft 9in lock’s dominant performance has earnt him a starting berth in South Africa’s team against Italy on Friday.Russia
The Bears have failed to win any of their matches and face a difficult task of taking on Ireland on Thursday.
Valery Morozov – featured in both of Russia’s matches so far making 13 tackles with a 93% success rate but has been left out of the lineup to face Ireland on Thursday.
USA
Valiant performances so far the Eagles will be hoping to pick up some points in their remaining group games.
AJ MacGinty – The Gallagher Premierships’ most accurate goalkicker has kicked 11 of the 16 points that USA has scored during the RWC with a 100% penalty and conversion success. The USA lost out to England in their opening match but made things difficult for France in the following game with the French only pulling away in the final few minutes of the encounter.
