Kingsley Jones took time out to tell skysports.com of his aspirations ahead of the new season.
Sharks boss thriving on pressure of first season in charge
After being thrust into the Sale Sharks hot-seat in January, director of rugby Kingsley Jones has just about caught his breath in time to tell
skysports.com his hopes and aspirations ahead of the new season.
It has been far from a quiet summer for the north west club, with captain Juan Manuel Fernandez Lobbe, French internationals Sebastien Chabal and Sebastien Bruno and Scottish stars Jason White and Rory Lamont all following former boss Philippe Saint-Andre's lead by moving onto pastures new.
However, after coping with the stresses and strains of Saint-Andre's exit admirably seven months ago, Jones believes nothing that occurs this season can match the pressure he was under at that time.
Kingsley, this will be you're first full season as director of rugby at Sale, how much are you looking forward to the ups and downs that come with the job?
"The pressure comes from within, whoever you are coaching you want to win. There will be pressure but if you can't take the pressure than you're in the wrong job. Having taken over halfway through last season with the situation we were in, I don't think I'll be under much more pressure than that. Now we have got the players and staff around me that I trust and want. We are quite happy at the moment to be given the tag of 'building' but within that we want to win at every opportunity. It was a baptism of fire last season, it wasn't an easy situation to be in but full credit to everybody, the players that left they worked hard until the end of the season and we ended up winning the last two games and getting 10 points out of it."
You now boast two of the most powerful wingers in domestic rugby after signing Ben Cohen from Brive in the summer. How much are you looking forward to seeing him and Mark Cueto in action together?
"I have been really impressed with Ben Cohen in particular. He has come back to England and the Premiership and his attitude has been incredible. His work-rate in the gym, around the younger fellas - he is itching to get on the field. It's great to have two powerful wingers like Mark and Ben - they won't always play together but we've got balance there. We've also got David Doherty, Oriol Ripol, we've got young Marika Vakacegu on board as well. Mark can also play full-back so I think that is a strength in Mark's bow as well playing for England - being able to play both wing and full-back but every time Mark gets a chance to play for England he steps up and he's a try-scorer. He's not the flashiest winger in the world, I hope he won't mind me saying that, but he knows how to score tries and he's a solid player at the highest level."
Do you think Ben Cohen can force his way back into the England side?
"I think he can yes, I wouldn't have him here and I don't think he would have come here if he didn't have ambition to get back there. He's a proud man and I'm sure he'll be determined to win his place back. He's 30 now and I think it's a good age in terms of recruitment. I think Ben has got the experience, he's got what it takes and the desire and hopefully we'll get two or three great years out of him, maybe more."
Will he be fit for the start of the season, I understand he has been struggling with a back injury?
"I just had a meeting with the doctor now and he has had a phone call off Ben. I've not spoken to Ben but he saw a specialist this morning and is now saying he wants to play on Saturday. That might be a bit realistic as he hasn't played any rugby for over two-and-a-half weeks but he has told the doctor he feels better and he is keen to be involved. I don't want to throw him straight in the deep end after having a bad back and make his back worse. He is desperate to be out on the pitch, and that is what we want."
Given the negative publicity surrounding what has happened at Bath and Harlequins, do you think you have an advantage over some of your rivals heading into the new season?
"We've laid down the ground rules, we had a great trip to France, I have got my own coaching team - people I know, people I trust, people that are right for the job with a lot of experience. Phil Keith-Roach, for example, is almost a mentor for myself, Peter Finch the conditioning coach is a breath of fresh air, he is here to make people into rugby players not body builders or sprinters or Mr Universe or World Strongest Man. Everyone is doing all the can to get off to a good start. I'm quite keen just to take the tag of a 'new team building' who have lost a lot of players. A hell of a lot has been said about those players but it has been a long time since they left. It's a new chapter, everything moves on. This club will go on for a long time after I'm gone, we are just custodians if you like and those guys made a massive impact on the club - Chabal, for example, Bruno - made massive contributions but like everything else you move on. That's life and that's what you have got to accept in sport."
You have brought in plenty of new faces, what have they added to the squad?
"They have freshened it all up. Sisaro Kayamaibole is someone I am looking forward to seeing, he has been set a target of being 120kg, he is 127kg today and he was 138kg two weeks ago so he is on his way to where he needs to be. When he played for Fiji against Wales at 120kg a few years ago at the World Cup he was one of the best players in the tournament. He knows that he needs to be at around that weight. He is a great addition, I don't want to build him up too much because the Premiership is a different game again but I'm hoping for good things from him. The other guys, I'm not going to name everybody, they have certainly brought a bit of freshness. They have new challenges and people are now looking over their shoulder saying 'I'm not sure what to expect from this guy'. David Bishop, people like that have come in and they really appreciate the opportunity, David Seymour - someone who was thinking a couple of months ago where am I going to get some rugby from. He has worked hard and he is looking for an opportunity. Luke Abraham now has someone to look over his shoulder at. Mahonri Schwalger is like the dad if you like, he's a man, he's a leader, and he's not only a great hooker but he's a good man to have around the place and we are going to need those people. It's exciting but we'll see how we are when times get tough."
