By Whaley Shark
July 10 2010

After Swanny's tsunami of quick drying ink over the last week or two, I'd quite lost track of all our new signings. To try and make sense of it, I've spent an hour or so on the web and come up with a few snippets about each of the new lads. I do hope I haven't missed anybody out, but apologies if I have. So, it's a big Sharky hello to:

Rhys Crane. Six foot 1 inch, 15 stone, Rhys has come to us from Bath on a 3-month trial. A quick winger who came through the Newport Gwent Dragons academy before moving to Bath in 2008, Rhys found it difficult to hold down a place in the First XV, and is looking for a fresh start at Sale.

 Aston Croall. This 6 foot, 18 stone prop, who’s just passed his 26^th birthday, joins us from Quins. Slightly in the shade of other, more established players at Harlequins, he made 2 Premiership starts last season, one in the New Year’s Day snowstorm at Edgeley Park, and also made seven appearances from the bench.

Matty James, whose height and weight appear to be closely guarded secrets, is a 23 year old New Zealander who plays at either fly half or full back. He has previously played at the highest level of club competition in New Zealand, and has also spent time in the northern hemisphere in English National League 1 at Cinderford and in the Welsh Premiership with Neath. He was part of the Neath side which beat Llanelli in the 2009 Swalec Cup final. 

Wame Lewaravu. A 27 year old Fiji international with 18 caps, the 6 foot 5 inch, 18 stone lock forward has played for London Welsh and, most recently, for Parma in Italy. While playing for Parma, he was a member of the team which inflicted a surprise defeat on French big boys, Bourgoin, last December. He is well known to Mike Brewer, who coached Fiji during their northern hemisphere tour of autumn 2009.

James Lewis. 22 year old James, a 6 foot 2 inch, 14 stone centre, has moved north for a trial period after one season at Coventry, which was overshadowed by the Midlands club’s financial difficulties. Before that he spent three years at Newport Gwent Dragons. Twin brother of scrum half Robert Lewis, he has represented Wales at all age groups up to and including Under 20. He is also developing a reputation on the international sevens circuit.

Rob Miller. Following the Sale tradition of recruiting Cumbrians, 5 foot 11 inch, 13 ½ stone fly half Rob has joined us from Newcastle Falcons, for whom he made the first of 22 appearances in 2008 at age 19. In the last season he made 5 starts and 9 appearances from the bench. He has represented England at Under 16, Under 18 and Under 20 levels. The R’n’B listening, Chinese food-eating Rob’s departure has been much regretted by the Falcons fans. 

Mikaele Pesamino is a high speed Samoan winger. Best known for his Sevens performances, and currently IRB Sevens Player of the Year, 6 foot 2 inch, 14 stone Mikaele clocks 10.3 seconds for 100 metres. In the 15-a-side game, he has played New Zealand Provincial rugby with Auckland, and has recently broken into the Samoan team, for which he has appeared five times, scoring seven tries.

Michael Petri. Current USA Eagles scrum half and capped 15 times for his country, 26 year old Michael led his New York Athletic Club side to the US Super League championship in 2010. This is the highest level of competition in the USA. He stands 5 foot 9 inches, and weighs in at 13 stone 3.

Kyle Tonetti. Kyle is adaptable, capable of playing either fly half or centre. He spent two years in the Leinster squad, where he understudied O’Driscoll and D’Arcy, and made his Magners debut at the end of the 2008-9 season. Six foot 1 inch tall, and weighing in at 15 ½ stone, he has represented Ireland at both Under 19 and Under 20 level and in the World Cup sevens.

Karena Wihongi. Six foot 1 inch, 19 ½ stone prop Karena is 30 years old. He was born in New Zealand but joins us from Bourgoin, where he has made 80 appearances over the last three seasons. He is qualified to play for France through residency. After going wild in 2008, when he scored tries on January 5^th, April 12^th and October 17^th, Karena has not troubled the scorers.

Paul Williams. 27 year old Paul, son of terrifying All Black wing Bryan Williams, has Super 14 experience with the Highlanders, Crusaders and, most recently, with the Blues. An attacking full back, 6 foot 2 inch, 15 ½ stone Paul made his international debut for Samoa in the 2010 Pacific Nations Cup, playing in all three matches of their successful campaign.

 

What do I make of all this? Well, I think we have quite a few young players here, and I wonder if this is Mike Brewer's attempt to fill a gap left by a disconnect between the academy and the first team? For many of these recruits, we represent a fresh start, or a first chance to hold down a first team place, so I think they will be keen, and hungry, and proud to pull the shirt on. Blended in with these, we have some more established players, who should bring a leavening of experience to go alongside our existing favourites. While sevens doesn't always translate to the 15-a-side game, I wonder if the number of sevens players we've recruited says something about the way we intend to play next season? Only time will tell, but my glass is filling up rapidly at the moment.