Sale Sharks have announced wholesale changes to their playing and backroom staff for the upcoming 2011-12 season.
A total of 25 players and staff released by club
Sale Sharks have announced wholesale changes to their playing and backroom staff for the upcoming 2011-12 season.
The departures of Charlie Hodgson to Saracens, Eifion Roberts to Toulon and Ben Cohen had already been confirmed, but 18 other players will also leave the club.
Chris Bell, Asaeli Boko, Chris Brightwell, Sean Cox, Rhys Crane, Carl Fearns, Jack Forster, Matty James, Chris Jones, Sisaro Koyamaibole, Selorm Kuadey, Chris Leck, Neil McMillan, Simon McIntyre, Fergus Mulchrone, Kristian Ormsby, Nic Rouse and Mathew Tait are the others heading for the exit door.
Conditioner Peter Finch, backs coach Byron Hayward and analysts Dan Lyne and Andrew Vernon will also not be coming back to Edgeley Park next season.
Sale executive director of sport Steve Diamond believes that a clearout is needed after disappointing 11th and 10th place finishes in the last two seasons.
Changes
"Such a wholesale change of players and coaching staff is necessary considering the performances of the club in the last two seasons," he said.
"With a couple of exceptions, the club declined to make offers to the departing players and staff."
The Sharks have already announced a number of new signings for next season and club CEO Mick Hogan is excited about the future prospects.
"The whole club are excited by the calibre of the new signings and re-signings the club have made on and off the pitch and these have been shown by our season ticket sales," Hogan said.
He added: "There are still a number of signings and re-signings to be announced in the next fortnight.
"By the start of June, all players and coaches will be in place to start pre-season conditioning at the newly developed High Performance Training Centre at Carrington in readiness for the 2011/12 season at Edgeley Park."
