Sanderson hoping record crowd will inspire Sharks

ALEX Sanderson wants La Rochelle to feel the noise as they prepare to take on the back-to-back European champions in front of a predicted sell-out at the Salford Community Stadium.

- JON NEWCOMBE

Ticket sales point to the glamour tie as being the highest attended European fixture at the ground that the Sharks have called home since 2012. And Sanderson hopes the atmosphere will be every bit as intimidating as a Friday night stroll around the less enlightened parts of Salford for the men from the Atlantic coast.

“Have you been down to the AJ when it’s a sellout? The blue smoke, the haze … the chip fat, 10,000 Mancs screaming Sale, it is different level,” he said.

“Ben Curry believes it is one of the best atmosphere’s he’s been involved in in club rugby, he feeds off that.

“You walk off the bus and there is a queue, three or four deep, 200 metres long, with spectators who are wishing us well.

“And this is for a group that maybe had 3,500 hard core (supporters), and now we are selling out; it means a lot to us to have the region behind us. We want to make them proud and give them something to shout about.”

La Rochelle’s last and only previous visit to the ground in 2019/20 attracted a crowd of just over 6,000 but Sale are hoping for five figures this weekend.

A repeat of the 25-15 scoreline in the Sharks’ favour, though, would be very welcome as a win of any description would be enough for them to finish in the top four in Pool 4 and progress to the Round of 16 at La Rochelle’s expense.