Can Sale recover after season of strife?

Can Sale recover after season of strife?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sale had won the most Prem games (38) in the three seasons before this one ByAdam LaniganBBC Sport EnglandPublished30 minutes ago6 CommentsFor the previous three seasons, Sale Sharks have flown the flag as the northern powerhouse of English club rugby.But this current campaign has left Sale battered and bruised and those foundations severely tested."It was the longest, hardest, most challenging season I've ever had," director of rugby Alex Sanderson admitted.They eventually ended it in seventh after winning only five of their 18 Prem matches, leaving them a whopping 27 points adrift of the play-off spots.With no consecutive league wins all season and just one victory on the road, the 2025-26 version of the Sharks was unlike what had been on show before.Yet is it the start of a decline or just a blip in the road for Sale? The north-west club won their only title in 2006, with stars such as Jason Robinson and Sebastian Chabal. Since replacing Steve Diamond as director of rugby in early 2021, Sanderson, a former Sale player, has been attempting to recreate that success.They reached the final again in 2023 only to lose to Saracens at Twickenham, and were beaten semi-finalists in the play-offs in both 2024 and 2025.No other team matched that consistency as Sale were the only ones to finish in the top four in each of those campaigns, with their 38 wins the most of any team during the regular season.They could not quite make the biggest leap of all, but they were firmly ensconced in the upper echelons. Summer Sale: John and Andrews join 20-player exodusPublished19 May'I know I have the minerals for Sale job' - SandersonPublished23 April'We are not in freefall', says Sale boss SandersonPublished25 JanuaryInjuries play part as wheels come offWith two wins from their opening three games in the 2025-26 season, it looked likely to be more of the same from Sale, bu...