Bryan Redpath named head coach after Sale Sharks shake-up

Sale Sharks have announced that Bryan Redpath is to remain at the club as head coach.

Redpath had been Sale’s director of rugby until earlier this week, but he was removed from that post.

The former Scotland scrum-half will now be part of a rugby strategy management board chaired by club owner Brian Kennedy, chief executive Steve Diamond, Redpath, former Sale boss John Mitchell and Ian Blackhurst.

Sale are currently bottom of the Aviva Premiership following seven successive league defeats this season. They have collected just two losing bonus points and are eight points adrift of London Irish, their next opponents at Salford City Stadium tomorrow night.

Kennedy said: “We are delighted to announce that Bryan Redpath will be taking on the role of head coach of Sale Sharks as from today.

“His four-year contract that commenced this year will stay in force.

“Sale Sharks have formed a rugby strategy management board which will meet regularly to devise and review the long-term rugby strategy.

“This board will be chaired by Brian Kennedy and consist of the following members: Ian Blackhurst, Steve Diamond, John Mitchell and Bryan Redpath.

“The priority of all the management within Sale Sharks is to get back to winning ways and secure our position in the Premiership. We believe we have the playing and coaching talent and structure to achieve this.

“Beyond this, we must plan medium and long-term to compete at the top of the game, 
and this will be the remit of the strategy board.”

Diamond confirmed yesterday that he will be in charge of the team for the remainder of this season.

Former New Zealand coach and England assistant Mitchell, though, has been linked with a return to the club for a while. Mitchell watched Sale’s most recent games, including last Friday’s narrow Premiership defeat against Worcester, and has 
been working with the club as a consultant.

Diamond said yesterday: “The situation is that, after a lot of poor results, we have asked Bryan just to take a little bit of time out, a couple of days off to reconsider what we are doing and how we restructure our rugby department.

“We want him to be involved moving forward. He is contracted for a long time after making a big move from Gloucester and we want him to be involved.

“We just need to get the balance of that right, and it clearly isn’t right [judging] by our results, so we just want to change it around a little bit to make sure we get the most out of our resources in the coaching – myself, Bryan and John Mitchell.”

Redpath took over at Sale in June, signing a four-year deal after leaving Gloucester.

But despite making some big-name signings, including Danny Cipriani and Richie Gray, Sale are currently firm relegation favourites with a third of the Premiership season having elapsed.

They have recorded a solitary victory from nine starts in all competitions this term, beating Heineken Cup opponents Cardiff Blues earlier this month.