- PLUS: The globe-trotting rugby stars indulging in sporting crossovers this week
- Join Mail+ to get ahead of the game with Rugby Confidential every Wednesday and Chris Foy’s World of Rugby every Monday
A windfall is heading to Simon Orange and that is very good news for Sale Sharks.
Orange has sold a majority stake in his investment firm, CorpAcq, to TDR Capital in a deal worth well over £1billion, which will make him one of the world’s wealthiest rugby club owners.
The funds are due to arrive imminently and Orange plans to invest a chunk of it into the Premiership club. Michelle, Orange’s wife, works at Sale and is determined to improve the club in every area.
Sale currently play at the Salford Community Stadium, which is owned by Salford City Council and the club are working with them to improve the stadium. They train at Carrington and there are plans being drawn up to purpose build a state-of-the art training facility.
‘Michelle is leading it, working on the stadium and on the training ground, trying to move things going forward,’ Simon, whose brother is Take That‘s Jason, tells Rugby Confidential. ‘At best it will take a couple of years to get all the agreements and planning, then another couple of years to build it. It’s not a short-term thing.
‘Sale’s future was already secure but this makes it doubly so. Hopefully it can help us get to the top of the game and stay there for years to come. We can’t spend any more on the playing squad because we’re already at the salary cap, but we will look to spend it elsewhere.’
Being a northern club, far from rugby union’s heartland, makes everything more difficult and the influx of cash will provide a major boost. Last year, a report forecast that Premiership owners will need to invest £300million over five years just to keep the game afloat. Financial pressure has squeezed the salary cap, with the marquee player allowance reduced to just one, but Orange will back director of rugby Alex Sanderson to sign any player he wishes.
‘It would be great for the league to bring in a load of A-listers but we’ve already lost three clubs and we’re trying to make the league commercially viable,’ says Orange. ‘We can’t push it too much but personally I wouldn’t mind if we could have two marquee players instead of one.
‘That would just put the wages up for everyone so it’s not good for the league commercially, although it might help to get more fans engaged. It’s a difficult one to answer but first and foremost is protecting the league and keeping it going. It survives mainly on the generosity of the owners but that is not a good long-term strategy.
‘As for Sale and the playing squad, we would absolutely back Alex to go out and sign whoever he wants. We can’t at the minute because we’ve already got George Ford as our marquee player. But if George Ford moved on, which he might eventually, then I would say to Alex “Go and get whoever you want, whoever is best for the club”.’
Sanderson recently signed a new three-year coaching deal. The owners have got behind Sanderson to build and lead the team for years to come, but Orange insists they would not block him from coaching England if the opportunity comes along.
And so it might, given the success Sale have had under him, including in the Champions Cup where they have reached the last 16 for the first time in three years – only to be handed the toughest task in Europe at the moment, an away trip to holders Toulouse in the first weekend in April.
‘We’ve been in the semi-finals three years out of the last four so we want to stay there and of course we want to be winning the Premiership,’ said Orange. ‘I’d like to win in Europe as well but it is hard competing with the French and Irish clubs who have more money and get government support.
‘As owners, what we can do is limited. We work with Alex to recruit the right people and then it’s on Alex and the team to coach them. We have a great coaching set up so we’re very hopeful of success.
‘I imagine Alex will be England coach at some point. We obviously want to keep him but if he ever got the opportunity to manage England and wanted to do it then we wouldn’t want to stand in his way. Maybe he’d come back afterwards… who knows.
‘My ideal is to make sure the club is on a sound financial footing, although I’m not sure it ever will be. Financially rugby is a really bad business at the minute but over the next 10 years, hopefully the income will catch up with the wages. Until then, it’s going to need funding.
‘Certainly, if we can start filling the stadium that would help but until then it’s down to me, Michelle, Ged and Soraya to keep funding the club. It’s in our will so hopefully Sale will be ok for many years to come, even if we’re not around.’
Leicester make more mid-season moves
Leicester have followed up their shock mid-season signing of Newcastle flyer Adam Radwan with a move for Northampton’s European hat-trick hero Tom Seabrook.
Seabrook had been a fringe figure for the Saints, but seized his chance to impress with a treble against Munster in the Champions Cup and is finalising terms on a move to Welford Road.
Injury-enforced retirements to Anthony Watson and Harry Simmons have freed up space in Leicester’s back three, with the club understood to have paid around £60,000 compensation to Newcastle for Radwan’s early release.
Six Nations back with a bang in the Eternal City
An impromptu operatic performance of Nessun Dorma, topless male dancers and a Netflix premiere set the tone for the launch of the 2025 Six Nations in Rome.
Usually staged in London, this year’s event took place in the Italian capital to celebrate 25 years since the Azzurri joined the Championship.
At a film premiere of the first episode of series two of Six Nations: Full Contact on Monday night, tournament chief executive Tom Harrison said rugby’s Netflix review of the 2024 tournament was ‘an even better series than last year’ despite the streaming giant not renewing for a third go as they focus on live sport instead.
The first episode of series two focuses on the rivalry between England fly-half pair Marcus Smith and George Ford.
At the media launch the following day, attended by all coaches and captains of the teams, journalists were welcomed by topless male dancers dressed in each of the colours of the competing nations.
Singers then rose out of the audience to deliver a rousing rendition of Nessun Dorma.
Springboks look to go global with Coke
Coca-Cola have signed a four-year commercial deal with South Africa Rugby that will see the brand featured on the back of shorts for the men, women, 7s and Under 20s teams.
The Springbok jerseys are currently sponsored by MTN Group, Africa’s largest mobile network operator, but the deal with the drinks giant is a move towards expanding their global footprint.
Rugby’s football crossover
Rugby’s stars have been rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous at Champions League ties around Europe this week.
Springbok pair Siya Kolisi and Ox Nche have been travelling around the UK to watch Chelsea and Liverpool’s fixtures, with Nche posing for photos with British rapper Central Cee.
Dan Biggar was a guest at Monaco’s game against Aston Villa, spending time with Prince Albert and Prince William – who were supporting opposing teams – in the VIP box.
