Sale Sharks sharpen their teeth after 'Tuna' chirp by Durban Sharks owner Masotti

Sharks owner Marco Masotti’s chirp that the Sale Sharks should rebrand themselves as the “Sale Tuna” could come back to bite him when the teams meet in a Champions Cup fixture on Saturday in Manchester.

Masotti said on social media that one of his New Year’s wishes was for Sale to undergo a name change to leave the Durban team as world rugby’s sole “Sharks” team. Masotti said: “I will be there in person. I hope the Sale fans show up to see the real @SharksRugby. There can be only one. Good luck to the Sale Tuna.”

While Masotti is known for his tongue-in-cheek jibes on social media, he may, in this case, have shot himself in the foot for two reasons: one, the Sharks are resting their Springboks for this match and sending a young side; and two, the Sale Sharks have said they feel disrespected by the chirp and will use it as motivation.

Alex Sanderson, the Sale director of rugby, told The Times: “We’ve been theming it up like that, who is going to be the bigger, better, more aggressive Shark,” he said.

“Minus three conditions at the CorpAcq Stadium, they’re flying in from 30 degrees in Durban. It is going to have to be a quick acclimatisation for them. The CorpAcq at night in midwinter helps us against anyone. It’s not a nice place to come, and we want to keep it that way.”

Sanderson confirmed that Masotti’s words are fuel for the motivational fire. “We’ll lean into that,” he said. “Do they respect us as an organisation? It is questionable — certainly not from the top. I will have that in the back pocket; those lads who are on social media might want bragging rights. You’ve got to find something every week that pushes the buttons. There’s enough there for us this week.”

It is an interesting decision by the Sharks to send a team similar in strength to the one that was heavily beaten by Toulouse in the first round of the Champions Cup.

The fate of the Durbanites in the tournament hangs in the balance; while they will be in an excellent position to beat Clermont next week in Durban, a full-strength Sharks side would have stood a good chance of winning in Manchester.

By the same token, Sale will know they have an excellent opportunity to harvest five league points and progress to the last 16 of the Cup. “We’re planning for the best Sharks team, you have to,” Sanderson said. “They haven’t had a good run of results, and they’ll want to get some pride back in their jersey.”

Masotti’s opposite number at Sale, co-owner Michelle Orange, added further spice to the encounter.

“Maybe we should rebrand as Manchester Megalodons. Funnily enough, my mum’s coming to watch on Saturday, and she’s not well. Three years ago, she gave me a fossilised megalodon tooth, so I could remind myself — when she’s not around to nag me — of the kind of shark I want to be. Be the biggest shark, be the angriest shark, be the most aggressive shark, day to day.”

Sanderson concluded: “I’m probably going to talk to the lads about what Michelle said. I want to show her that I can be this person, this coach that she wants me to be. There are always personal reasons for you to be motivated.”