Jono Ross relishing new life in fast lane with Sale Sharks

By Jon Newcombe
STAND-IN Sale skipper Jono Ross admits the pace of Premiership rugby caught him by surprise after swapping Paris for Manchester.
The South African-born, English-qualified back rower has been a huge asset to the Sharks since arriving in the summer on a three-year deal from Stade Francais and is currently the club's top ball carrier and tackler.
But it took the the 27-year-old time to get up to speed, telling TRP: “After the first game I played against Wasps I said to my fiancée that I was probably five steps off the pace.
“From a fitness and technical perspective, it's tested me, and the rugby is probably better too. So it's been refreshing and I've got what I wanted: a challenge.
With just eight points separating Sale from their opponents in each of the last eight games before the European break, Ross has been struck by the competitiveness of the league.
“If you look across the Premiership, teams do win away from home and that adds to the competitiveness of the competition. There is never an easy game.
“There was a bit of a stigma surrounding Sale in that we didn't win away from home, but hopefully we've gone a bit of a way to changing that mentality with last week's win at Worcester and the one in the Anglo-Welsh.
“Before that, there was a sense of frustration that results weren't going our way. But you've got to make your own luck. Credit to the coaches and the team we have stuck at it and we're starting to show signs of what we can be.
“We can still improve, massively. But winning makes things a lot easier and lifts the squad.”
In the absence of suspended director of rugby Steve Diamond, assistant coach Paul Deacon took charge of the team for the tense wins over Northampton and Worcester that have given the Sharks some breathing space at the wrong end of the table.
And Ross has been impressed by the way former RL great Deacon, below, has handled his temporary promotion.
“He's won four out of four. He is calm and collected and gets his message across very easily. I think he is having a big influence on the squad and we've responded well to him. I think he has a lot of potential.”
Ross is not entirely new to the Premiership environment having spent time in England as a teenager at Harlequins academy, followed by a six-month spell at Saracens.
While he never broke into the first team set-up, Ross credits his time at Saracens with putting him on the right track as a rugby professional.
“When I went to Sarries I had just been released by the Bulls and I went there on a trial period in a bid to stay in the game. I think the ethos of hard work was something I'd lacked and being at Sarries gave me a new outlook on rugby that probably stood me in good stead going forward.”
Ross' time at Stade was one of ups and downs. Playing alongside “cult hero” Sergio Parisse in a team that won the Top 14 and then the European Challenge Cup was undoubtedly a high, but the club's financial problems, and talk of a merger with city rivals Racing 92, was a period he'd rather forget.
“I've never experienced a rivalry like that in my career. When Thomas Savare (Stade president) stood in front of the squad and told us that we'd be merging, a few players stood up and told him there was no way that that would ever be allowed to happen and walked out.
“It was one of the more stressful periods of my life. It was tough on the players and the families. But credit to the group, we stuck together. Otherwise I don't think the club would exist.
“I still look back on my time at Stade with the fondest of memories and take a lot of pride in those two trophies. They have moved on, and so have I. Now I just want to play as well as I can for Sale.”