By Whaley Shark
June 18 2011

So how do I keep this board ticking over during a rugby-free summer? Well, one way is to look back at some of the players, one-time Sale Sharks stalwarts, who have moved on at the end of last season, and reflect on their contribution over, in some cases, many years. I thought I’d start with Chris Jones, now heading down the M5 to Worcester.

Local boy Chris came to Sale Sharks via Altrincham Kersal, Mark Cueto’s old club, and Fylde. He made his debut in 2001 at the age of 21, clocking up 12 starts in his first season and, notably, outpacing Austin Healey in a 50 metre race for the line at Heywood Road. The following year, he became an established first choice player, making 26 starts and being and being nominated for Premiership Young Player of the Year. He quickly caught the eye of the international selectors, initially for England A and Churchill Cup matches in 2002-2003,but progressing to his first full international cap in the 2004 Six Nations, when he came off the bench to score a try against Italy. That turned out to be his only international try, and he drifted out of favour at the end of the 2006-2007 season, though not before he had made 14 appearances for England.

Nevertheless, he remained firmly established in the Sale side, playing either as flanker or lock, and was always an effective line-out jumper. The most starts he made in a single season was in the Premiership-winning 2005-2006 season, when he was also Sale’s Player of the Season, but he was one of the many casualties the following year, when injury limited him to just a handful of games. Over the next three years, as a dependable member of the side, he continued to clock up appearances, before seemingly falling out of favour with last season’s short-lived Brewer regime. After New Year though, we saw a good deal more of him and he finished with 16 starts.

A ten year Sale career, in which he played over 200 times, ended this summer, when Chris moved to Worcester, perhaps seeking a fresh challenge and renewed enthusiasm. Playing at blind side flanker or lock, his scoring opportunities have been fairly limited, though ironically he did pick up the Man of the Match award against Worcester in September 2004, scoring a hat trick of tries in a 57-3 demolition. Personally, I’ll always welcome him back to Edgeley Park (or Salford or.....) and would just like to take this opportunity to say a public ‘Thank you’ to our Sale Warrior and wish him and his family well for the future.