Sale Sharks brought an end to their league season with an emphatic victory over Newcastle this weekend, cruising past the Falcons 54-12 and showing some good preparation ahead of their highly-anticipated home semi-final against Leicester Tigers.
The visitors might have already been consigned to a bottom-placed finish before rocking up to the AJ Bell stadium, but they might have expected a slightly more closely-run affair after opening the scoring inside three minutes.
However, it wasn’t meant to be and after a strong season for the Sharks and their historic semi-final against Leicester looming, they answered back just as quickly.
Before long, it was 21-7 to the home side and after starting the second half even stronger, they smelt blood, punishing every mistake possible and putting a further 33 points past the visitors. With a total of 10 tries in the game, Sale couldn’t have hoped to head into next week’s cup semi in better shape.
𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 | 🦈 54-12 🦅
Heading to the semi-final in fine fettle after a ten try thriller at the AJ Bell 🙌
Sale Sharks round off the season comfortably as they prepare for the big Premiership Rugby semi-final.
With Tom Roebuck, Sam James, Ben Curry; Bevan Rodd, Raffie Quirke and Aaron Reed all getting on the scoresheet, the Sharks will no doubt be feeling confident ahead of the big fixture on Sunday, 14 May, especially being at home.
ADVERTISEMENT
Given the momentous nature of the tie, tickets for the historic meeting sold out almost instantly, this being the team’s first home semi-final in 17 years — the last time being when they won it and against the Tigers, no less.
Even this warm-up game served as a historic occasion as veteran Will Cliff also called time on his professional career this season at age 34, enjoying a final run-out ahead of his testimonial. The club made clear how much his presence will be missed with a heartfelt video in April.
ADVERTISEMENT
Moreover, with the Women’s team set to face off against third-placed Bristol Bears at Heywood Road a day prior to the Leicester game — no doubt looking for vengeance after the defeat back in January — is set to be a stellar weekend for the Sharks.
𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆𝙀𝙉𝘿 🔥
The ultimate Sharks weekender has arrived, #SharksFam 🙌.
Two unmissable clashes as we look to make this weekend one to remember!
Join us at Heywood Road on Saturday, all season ticket holders and U18s get 𝘍𝘙𝘌𝘌 entry! #FabricOfTheNorth
As for Sale vs Leicester, the clubs have met three times already this season, with the Sharks’ chances looking strong having won on all three occasions.
That being said, this will be the 106th meeting between the two and just the thirteenth at AJ Bell Stadium, with Leicester winning 69 of those fixtures compared to Sale’s 32, so it’s arguable that history is on the side of the Tigers. Nevertheless, the home advantage will no doubt play heavily in Sale’s favour.
ADVERTISEMENT
Elsewhere, first-place finishers Saracens host Northampton Saints in their semi-final on Saturday and should both teams progress, the league leaders — whom the Sharks beat back in March — will then be the only thing that stands in the way of the Manchester side’s first title since 2006. Can they do it?
You can watch Sale Sharks’ convincing victory over Newcastle Falcons down below:
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
9th May 2023 
