A windfall is heading to Simon Orange and it’s great news for Sale Sharks.
Orange has sold a majority stake in his investment company CorpAcq to TDR Capital in a deal worth well over £1 billion, which will make him one of the richest rugby club owners in the world.
The money is expected to arrive soon and the Orange plan to invest some of it in the Premiership club. Orange’s wife Michelle works at Sale and is committed to improving the club in all areas.
Sale currently play at the Salford Community Stadium, which is owned by Salford City Council and the club is working with them to improve the stadium. They are training at Carrington and plans are being drawn up to build a state-of-the-art training facility.
‘Michelle is working on the pitch and training ground, trying to get things moving forward,’ says Simon. take itJason says Rugby Confidential. ‘It will take two years at best to get all the agreements and plans in place, and another two years to build them. It’s not a short-term thing.
‘Sale’s future was already secure, but this makes it doubly secure. We hope this will help us get to the top of our game and stay there for years to come. ‘We can’t spend any more money on the squad because we’ve already reached the salary cap, but we’ll look to spend it elsewhere.’
Sale owner Simon Orange is ready to give his club ‘the player they need’.
The Orange are planning to upgrade their team facilities to increase the potential of a premiership team at the stadium.
The Orange stressed that although they could not spend the cash on players, it would help Sale compete.
Being a northern club far from the heart of rugby union makes everything more difficult and an influx of cash would be a huge help. A report last year predicted Premiership owners would need to invest £300 million over five years to keep the game afloat. Financial pressures have put pressure on the salary cap, reducing the marquee player allowance to just one player, but the Orange will support director of rugby Alex Sanderson to sign any player he wants.
‘It would be great if the league brought in a lot of A-level players, but we’ve already lost three clubs and we’re trying to make the league commercially viable,’ Orange said. ‘You can’t push it too much, but personally I don’t mind having two big players instead of one.
‘That would just raise everyone’s wages, so while it might help get more fans involved, it’s not good commercially for the league. It’s a difficult question to answer, but the most important thing is protecting the league and keeping it going. They survive primarily on the generosity of their owners, but this is not a good long-term strategy.
‘When it comes to Sale and the squad, we will absolutely support Alex to sign the players he wants. We can’t do that now because we already have George Ford as a major player. But if George Ford moves on, I would say to Alex: “Go and get whoever you want, whoever is best for the club.”
Sanderson recently signed a new three-year coaching contract. The owners have backed Sanderson to build and lead the team for the next few years, but the Orange insist they will not stop him from managing England if the opportunity arises.
And given the success Sale have enjoyed under him, including the Champions Cup where they reached the round of 16 for the first time in three years, that might be the case. However, I am currently assigned to the most difficult mission in Europe: an expedition trip. To holders Toulouse in the first weekend of April.
‘We’ve been to the semi-finals three of the last four years. So we want to stay there and of course we want to win the premiership,’ Orange said. ‘We want to win in Europe too, but it’s difficult to compete with French and Irish clubs who have more money and government support.
‘As owners, there’s only so much we can do. We work with Alex to recruit the right talent and it’s up to him and the team to mentor them. We have great coaching in place and we are very excited to see you succeed.
Rugby manager Alex Sanderson has been tipped by the club’s owners to become the next England manager.
‘I think Alex will be England manager one day. We obviously want to keep him, but if he has the opportunity to coach England and wants to do it, we don’t want to stand in his way. Maybe he’ll come back later… Who knows.
‘My ideal is to make sure the club is financially sound, but I’m not sure that will happen. Financially rugby is a really bad business at the moment, but hopefully over the next 10 years the income will catch up with the wages. Until then, funds will be needed.
‘Of course it would help if we could start to fill the stadium. But until then it’s up to me, Michelle, Gad and Soraya to keep funding the club. It’s up to us, so hopefully Sale will be okay for many years to come even if we’re not around.’
Leicester make more moves mid-season
Leicester have signed European hat-trick hero Tom Seabrook from Northampton following their shock mid-season signing of Newcastle Flyer Adam Radwan.
Seabrook has been a fringe figure for Saints, but he seized the chance to win the treble against Munster in the Champions Cup and is finalizing a move to Welford Road.
The injury-induced retirements of Anthony Watson and Harry Simmons have freed up space in Leicester’s back three, with the club reportedly paying Newcastle around £60,000 in compensation for Radwan’s early release.
The Six Nations returns to the Eternal City.
impromptu opera performance no one sleepsA shirtless male dancer, the Netflix premiere, sets the tone for the 2025 Six Nations opener in Rome.
This event, usually held in London, was held in the Italian capital to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the company’s founding. Azzurri Joined the Championship.
The Six Nations kicked off in Rome this week to mark Italy’s 25th anniversary of the tournament.
A suitably dramatic backdrop added a bit of color to proceedings ahead of next week’s kick-off match.
At the film premiere of the first episode of series 2 Six Nations: Full Contact On Monday night, tournament chief executive Tom Harrison said Rugby’s Netflix review of the 2024 tournament was ‘a much better series than last year’ despite not renewing it for a third time as the streaming giant focuses on live sport instead. ‘ he said.
The first episode of series 2 focuses on the rivalry between England fly-half pair Marcus Smith and George Ford.
At a press conference the next day, attended by all of the team’s coaches and captains, reporters were welcomed by topless male dancers dressed in the colors of each of the competing countries.
The singers then stood up in the audience and sang passionately. no one sleeps.
Springboks look to go global with Coke.
Coca-Cola has signed a four-year commercial agreement with South Africa Rugby. The deal will see the branding appear on the back of shorts for the men’s, women’s, sevens and under-20 teams.
The Springbok kit is currently backed by MTN Group, Africa’s largest mobile network operator, but the deal with the drinks giant is a move to expand its global presence.
Former Wales international Dan Bigga (right) traveled to Monaco to see Villa with Prince William.
Springbok pair Ox Nche (pictured right) and Siya Kolisi were in west London to watch Chelsea alongside rapper Central Cee (left).
Rugby Football Crossover
Rugby stars are rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous in Champions League matches across Europe this week.
Springbok pair Siya Kolisi and Ox Nche traveled to England to watch Chelsea play Liverpool, with Nche posing for a picture with British rapper Central Cee.
Dan Biggar was a guest at Monaco’s match against Aston Villa and spent time in the VIP section with Prince Albert and Prince William, who were supporting the opposing team.
