Alex Sanderson admits it would “take something special” for Sale Sharks to rule Europe, but that’s not stopping him from having one squinted eye on a possible last 16 home draw.

And the Sharks boss claims that far from being a “distraction” to the more feasible goal of becoming English champions, the Champions Cup is crucial to his side’s ongoing development.
Sale head into two crunch battles at home to South Africa’s Sharks and then over to Toulouse in the coming weekends, still feeling the buzz of that stunning bonus-point win at Clermont Auvergne.
It provided a major confidence boost on ...