'It was a little bit scary' - Paul Deacon on filling the Sale shoes of the texting Steve Diamond
Caretaker Sale boss Paul Deacon has described taking over for his first game last weekend as “a little bit scary”, adding that the deposed Steve Diamond was in touch via text following the Premiership club’s 26-14 opening round Champions Cup loss at Toulon.
Heads were massively turned in English rugby circles last week when Diamond, the Manchester club’s long-serving director of rugby, suddenly quit following an alleged difference of opinion in the direction that the ambitious Sharks should take going forward.
That shock departure resulted in Deacon, who had been with Sale as Diamond’s assistant since 2015, being thrust into the primetime role as the club’s temporary figurehead for an awkward assignment in France.
Diamond’s sudden departure would have been a convenient excuse if Sale had gone on and shipped a hammering by 40 or 50 points. However, they resiliently stuck to their task and Deacon believes there were many positives to take from Toulon heading into Saturday’s round two game at home to Edinburgh.
“I’ll be honest, it was a little bit scary,” said Deacon, the 41-year-old who forged his career as a star player in Super League before switching codes to become attack/skills coach at Sale five years ago.
Three-time winners @RCTofficiel were back with a bang as they cruised to a home win over @SaleSharksRugby ? @sergioparisse was at his glorious best as the French got their campaign off to the perfect start ?#HeinekenChampionsCup highlights ?? pic.twitter.com/Mr2yfkgnAX
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) December 13, 2020
“I was nervous before the game. There were more decisions to be made during the game regarding substitutions and everybody is looking at you but I felt ready for it. During games, you have your own opinions. I enjoyed it, enjoyed it, and I just hope that the lads are enjoying the way I am dealing with things and we can all be in it together.
“Steve dropped me a text after the game saying the lads never give in and keep it positive so that is what I am trying to do, that is what we are all striving for. Stay positive and get better.
“Obviously I have to think about a lot more things now which I didn’t have to think about before which takes time but also I have enjoyed that, getting my teeth into them things, but yeah the biggest change for me personally is it [the job] is always on your mind, you have always got them decisions, players to talk to, them type of things.
“I want things to be done correctly and in the right way. I pride myself on that. That is the thing I have to get used to, but the one thing I have to make sure is I do have some downtime as well and not burn myself out.
“I was proud of the performance. I said that to the lads after the game, Toulon away is a very tough place to go. I don’t think they have lost there yet this season in the French competition. We knew we were up against it going there, but we were confident. We knew we could put in a performance. Performance-wise we weren’t too far off which is pleasing and is definitely something to build on.”
England back row Tom Curry won’t figure in Deacon’s selection plans as he is still on a compulsory break following the Autumn Nations Cup campaign while skipper Jono Ross will also be absent as he is following return to play protocols after his concussion in Toulon.
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Really unfortunate after last Sunday's six-try Sandy Park success versus Glasgow #HeinekenChampionsCup
https://t.co/GJ5TKSvMsv— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 16, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Whether true or not, all the best to you Sam Cane. A warrior of a player and a loyal servant to the ABs! Go get you some yen and have some fun.
1 Go to commentsThe game was changing too much with teams trying to role the dice drawing fouls. Would be better if scrums and the adjudicating problems were resolved but this is a good immediate fix.
37 Go to commentsLike many here I am encouraged by this post. Our forwards are where the real rewards and improvements must come from. With a 50/50 pack against any opposition, our backs could ensure more than 50% of the games will be won. We need Valetini at 6 and Cale at 8 to make the most or a good tight 5, McWright will add to the effectiveness of the pack BUT must get a very good tight 5 out there first.
97 Go to commentsThe key point I think that is missing is that if Joseph wants to guarantee a Lions spot, he really has to play wing in his first year. He is easily going to nail down whatever he wants to do, but with just half a season, how much of a factor he proves to be in the Lions series could be dictated by this initial choice of playing position.
8 Go to commentsthe game was 2 weeks before the challenge cup final. I really don’t believe they needed to rest that many players.
1 Go to commentsI really feel like neither of the Vunipolas is given the respect they deserve. I would have liked to see both of them get a few more caps than they have gotten in the past couple of years, but unfortunately the fact that they both peaked young has meant that for a number of years they have been perceived as disappointments. When they are both retired, in the cold light of day they will be recognised as two of the best players of their generation of any nation.
2 Go to commentsthis generation of saracens players could produce some really incredible coaches. When Farrell retires he could walk into any premiership team as a defence, attack, or kicking coach. Itoje could make it as a defence or a lineout coach, and Jamie George as a lineout or scrum coach. The problem the Vunipolas are going to have is that its not clear what their coaching speciality would be. Neither are great in the set piece, and while they were good in attack and defence, they were never tactical masterminds. Perhaps contact skills would be their ideal brief? Mako perhaps could work in strength & conditioning, but Billy has a bit of a reputation for not taking that side of the game seriously.
2 Go to commentsA very good player.We are finally getting some balance in our team. Plummer..Heem ..Lam a solid..experienced combo who take the sensible options consistently. Clarke was a grt impact of the bench option until Lam moved to 13 to replace an injured Reiko. Cotter is doing a grt job building his team. .
1 Go to commentsSaturday was last straw. Terrible record in Premiership since Jan 23. Capitulation against Bath at home. There are 3 conclusions. Players aren't good enough. Coaching team aren't good enough or combination of both.
2 Go to commentsAs you say in your article Brett, the point was Hamish and his vanity - plain and simple. The crazy bit is that sua’ali’i has to be probably twice the player of mark N, no easy feat, just for RA to get their money's worth!?! And as you say, tahs aren't short of wingers, props on the other hand id like to see $1.6m spent on. I still shake my head at the absolute carry on in the media and comments section around the boon of getting sua’ali’i and the revenue it'd generate. It was all such hogwash imo and short sighted, real sugar hit stuff. And wasnt Waugh (and others) on the board at the time this money was spent? You say silver bullet, I'd say sugar hit but without the flavour.
8 Go to commentsNZR should play hard all a bit with some of these players and make them sign up to the next world cup. If they won’t, offer it to someone who will. Because what happens is the NH (especially France) swoop on a bunch of nz players coming off contract, weakening their depth, and nz scrambles less than 2 years out trying to get replacements up to speed.
1 Go to commentsNo thanks. Savea almost always leaves easy points out there and goes for the corner, no matter how many times it’s not working. He claimed he took “the learnings” from this when he kept making the same mistake against the Boks a few years ago. Then went out the very next week and did the same thing and SA snatched victory because of it. Years later he still does it, right up to and including the world cup final. Great player, not so great rugby nous.
10 Go to commentsIt certainly wasn't a rhetorical masterpiece coming from big E …. (just as a side remark: Eben is the better player, Siya by far the better talker - maybe that's why they don't seem to like each other very much) …. but could we please move on?
67 Go to commentsMan who wasn't there and hasn't held a conversation with those who were present weighs in on dead rubber debate and is presented as representative of the Irish Rugby Union’s spokesperson on subject he has no apparent knowledge of whatsoever.
67 Go to commentsanybody who bends at the waist when they tackle
5 Go to commentsThe evidence is not strong that this is necessary. Mounga choked on clutch kicks in the WRC final and lost the match by not performing his core goal kicking role to the level required. He also choked in the Semi final against England and was targeted as the weak point in the defence allowing them to score. Not a test great frankly. Why bend the rules for a player that is competent but not brilliant at test level?
11 Go to commentsDear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to commentsDid the big E call the Irish the ‘White Can’ts’? That would’ve been good
67 Go to commentsDalton Papalii will be lucky to be selected on the Matchday 23. Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, and Peter Lauki are all as good or better openside flankers
10 Go to commentsScott Barrett is a lock and they have a much longer shelf life than a loose forward. Far more likely that Barrett will still demand a starting position based on performance at age 33 at RWC 2027 than Savea, whose explosive athleticism will have declined and he will in all likelihood have been surpassed by Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Siti, Peter Lauki and Brayden Iose.
10 Go to comments