Rugby-Sale Sharks appoint former captain Sanderson as new director of rugby

However, a back injury ended his career and he moved into coaching, becoming instrumental in Saracens' success in his role as a Forwards/Defence coach. "I'm joining a club I know all about from my time here, but things have moved on massively since those days and the opportunity to come back home and achieve something special was just too good to turn down," Sanderson said in a statement.

Sale Sharks have appointed former club captain Alex Sanderson as their Director of Rugby after reaching an agreement with Saracens to release him from his contract, the Premiership Rugby side said on Friday.

Sanderson, 41, started his career with Sale in 1998 and made 90 appearances for the club and captained the side before making the switch to Saracens. However, a back injury ended his career and he moved into coaching, becoming instrumental in Saracens' success in his role as a Forwards/Defence coach.

"I'm joining a club I know all about from my time here, but things have moved on massively since those days and the opportunity to come back home and achieve something special was just too good to turn down," Sanderson said in a statement. "After speaking to the owners and others at the club, it was obvious that there's a huge amount of ambition and a real growth mindset here and that's something that really stood out for me.

"Moving on from Saracens was a decision I had to think long and hard about, but I just felt the time was right to start a new chapter." Sale are fourth in the standings after six rounds, five points behind leaders Bristol Bears.