OT Chris Ashton

[Nopace]

Leaves Sharks with immediate effect and is off to Quins according to Twitter.

[Neils]

Lots of twitter rumours about Sale's salary cap level.

[Rossm]

Lots of twitter rumours about Sale's salary cap level.

Cameron Redpath has also left in the past month 'with immediate effect' and Rob Webber is retiring at the end of the season.

[WickedWasp]

Yeah some allegations of fiddling the cap by Sale. Wouldnt surprise me Diamond is hardly someone I would trust and wasnt he previously involved at Saracens?

[HDAWG]

Looking at their squad I highly doubt they're breaking the cap. If anything they're making room for Loz and some other signings.

[BG]

Looking at their squad I highly doubt they're breaking the cap. If anything they're making room for Loz and some other signings.

Bizarrely I was thinking the opposite, even at the start of the season when all the signings were revealed. They have 3 WC winners in the squad and a smattering of former inrternationals.. JCW signed for a lot kore than he was on at Wasps (that Wasps weren't prepared to match).

How many Saffas do they have.. 6 or 7? I don't expect SA players to upsticks if it isn't financially worthwhile. I didn't realise Jono Ross was SA as well (until I heard his post match interview)

[Hymenoptera]

Cap questions are the immediate reactions these days which is sad and a legacy that will stick around for a while thx to cheating sarries but for me this looks like maneuvers. I do think they are right at the cap with that squad but that's it.
It's an odd one though, Yard seems to have jumped in front of him and maybe he just wants to play, when he's not injured.

[Peej]

Bath have also paid a contract release fee for Redpath. But was that for now, or next season?

[egg shaped man]

Lets face it all the clubs will be making sure they are squeaky clean, imagine the problem if another club is found to have gone over or created a smoke screen.
And yes of course everyone will imagine its salary based.
But of all players Ashton to me comes across as very sharp and financially focused.

[coddy]

The fact that he's moving mid season suggests either a big fallout between player and club or panic salary cap reducing.

[wasps]

My feeling is that this is fairly legit.

It was Sale that paid off Ashton's loan, and made totally sure that the correct parents were dealt with in the cap.

That was before all the recent call shenanigans.
As such, I'm willing to trust that they try to do things by the book

[Shugs]

Diamond was on BT Friday night saying they would be revealing three new signings imminently. Suspect this is just creating the headroom. Their current recruitment criteria seems to be sign anyone called Du Preez.

[13thWarrior]

I heard a rumour that Sale class one of the Du Preez brothers as their marquee player, and pay him a shedload, while the other brothers get minimum. Expectation is the brothers share it amongst themselves afterwards. The big fee on the marquee player then doesn't get counted in the cap, so they get 3 players for very little impact on the cap. Just a word of mouth rumour though so can't think too much of it.

[RBB]

According to Fissler; 'Steve Diamond says Sale Sharks will complete three signings this week expect Sam Hill and Vincent Koch to be two. Richard Wigglesworth as player-coach possibly the third.'

[RBB]

Dimesway or the highway....

 https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/rugby-union/sale-sharks/news/steve-diamond-opens-up-on-chris-ashton-disagreement_391665.html