INTERIM Sale Sharks head coach Paul Deacon says Steve Diamond's “legacy at the club will last a lifetime”.
Deacon was as taken aback as anyone this week when told that Diamond had left the Sharks with immediate effect, for “personal reasons”.
Stepping up from the attack coach role he has held for the last five years, the former Rugby League player took charge of his first game yesterday at Toulon in the Heineken Champions Cup.
“I think it's been a shock to everyone, I certainly felt numb and I'm sure some of the lads felt the same way,” said Deacon, not bothered by suddenly finding himself in the spotlight.
“It is, for sure, going to be different. Dimes does so much for this club that people don't know about. He more or less built this (new) training facility on his own.
“He has given his life to this club; he has been here that many years. He has built a magnificent squad which we hope can compete for silverware on a regular basis.
“He has left a legacy that will last forever, and he will be missed, by everyone.”
Deacon was brought to Sale by Diamond in 2015 after becoming frustrated by a lack of head coach opportunities in Rugby League.
“I was lucky enough that he decided to take a punt on me,” he said. “I have never worked in the game before, I am a Rugby League man and I have been brought up that way. But he has showed me the ropes and taught me a lot over the last five years.”
Now the 41-year-old has the chance to prove he has what it takes to be the main man in Rugby Union.
Would he like the job long-term? “That's up to Simon (Orange) and Ged (Mason) as owners of the club to do what they think is right for the club, and I will support that.
“It is something I have always aspired to. I think I can be a head coach, but obviously I was a bit unprepared for it happening this way. I'll take my chance and see how it goes.
“I am a little bit more experienced and a lot of the credit for that has to go to Dimes. He gave me a lot of responsibility handling the attack at Sale; he gave me a sort of free rein and trusted me a lot. I feel I have developed massively over the last five years.
“I've had to think of a few things other than I nor-mally would and it was a funny start to the week, but I am excited by the prospect and excited to be in this position.”
Former Sale player Alex Sanderson has been mentioned as a possible candidate from outside the club and would come with huge pedigree having won everything there is to win as forwards coach at Saracens.
Meanwhile, Mark Nelson, who was backs coach when the Sharks won the Premiership in 2006, believes Stuart Lancaster would be “the perfect fit”.
“Dimes put together a group of players and a system that was moulded out of his own personality, and it was successful,” said Nelson, head coach of Lancashire and former boss at Fylde and Rossendale.
“He is a real force of nature and has done great for Sale, and they owe him a big debt of gratitude. But now that he's gone, I think the club needs to make a complete shift in the way it looks at things.
“With his fantastic knowledge of structures and the academy, and his ability to get everyone engaged with the North West, I think Stuart Lancaster would be the perfect fit to take Sale onto the next level.”
