Alex Sanderson delivers honest verdict on future after Sale 'embarrassed' in thumping Saracens defeat - ‘I would just walk’

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Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson admitted that he was "embarrassed" by his side's 19-85 defeat to a Noah Caluori-inspired Saracens in the Gallagher PREM.

'Embarrassed' Sanderson will demand 'answers' from Sale squad after Saracens drubbing

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While Sale and Saracens were separated by just one place in the table, the difference in quality at the CorpAcq Stadium on Sunday was stark.

Caluori scored five tries for the visitors, who managed 13 in total in a blistering display of attacking rugby.

Saracens boosted their chances of a late PREM play-off push, moving to 38 points, just nine behind fourth-placed Exeter Chiefs.

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Seventh-placed Sale, meanwhile, are looking over their shoulders following a 10th defeat of the season, and Sanderson made clear his disappointment.

"I'm not as positive as I was pre-match, obviously," he told TNT Sports. "Embarrassed, always, after results like that.

"Clearly, we haven't found the buttons to press to motivate us for the back end of the season. I thought I was pretty clear on Monday as to some of the reasons that we had things to play for.

Highlights: Caluori stars with FIVE tries as Saracens demolish Sale Sharks

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"When everything goes wrong, it's generally down to mentality. If it's a little bit in every area, then we haven't pitched up with the right attitude.

"As bad as we were, Sarries looked like they were playing for a top-four spot."

Asked what went wrong, Sanderson added: "Bad start, gave them some soft transitions first 20 minutes. And then it felt like we were just surviving, chasing shadows a little bit. The ball was too quick, and then you're chasing shadows towards the edges.

"Motivation, collective purpose, fixes a lot of those wholesale problems. I've just told them to go home and sleep on it, because we're in tomorrow, and we'll get some answers from them."

Pressure is mounting on Sanderson, whose side have won just three matches since the turn of the year.

But he insisted that he could turn Sale's fortunes around.

"I'm confident I can take them forward, 100% I can," he said. "If I felt like I was losing the group, then that's a different question - I would just walk.

"But at the moment, internally, we're very tight, and we feel like we've got the answers moving forward."

Caluori's five-star display

Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, meanwhile, was delighted by his team, heaping praise on Caluori's five-star display.

"Noah's performance - including his ability to get us over the gain line - showed what a handful he is with the ball in addition to his finishes," McCall said.

"A couple of his tries took some finishing, and he was very strong aerially too."

'Quite the splash!' - Caluori leaps over for his FIFTH try in stunning display

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McCall added: "He's got a strong family who keep him grounded, but he's grounded anyway and a great kid.

"He's doing well, and obviously today's game blew out a little bit, but I think that performance today was one of the better wing performances that I've seen in the PREM for a long time - and I've seen a lot."

Watch and stream the Gallagher PREM, Autumn Nations Series and Premiership Women's Rugby live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

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