For Brendan Venter, Saracens’ self-proclaimed wine specialist, this one had notes of frustration and disappointment.
Wearing a T-shirt advertising a South African vineyard, Venter’s first game back at the StoneX Stadium ended in defeat.
It rounded off a bumpy week for the north London club.
On Tuesday, Venter changed his job title from Director of Rugby to circumvent his obligations to talk to the media.
He flirted with the title of Wine Consultant, before settling on Head of Culture and Technical Director.
His PR stunt left the club open to ridicule and, as Saracens sunk into a swamp of plonk-related gags, Sale hooker Nathan Jibulu was the toast of the day.
Sale hooker Nathan Jibulu (centre) was excellent during their 21-17 win at Saracens on Sunday
Pressure was building on Sale’s expensive new squad after their opening day defeat by Bristol.
They have loaded their squad with the international pedigree of Courtney Lawes, Joe Marchant and Nicky Smith, but it was their uncapped hooker who grabbed the headlines.
Jibulu, 23, already has a reputation as one of the league’s most powerful front-row forwards. His team-mates have nicknamed him ‘Cement’ because of how hard he carries the ball.
Lineout throwing has been Jibulu’s downfall but here, in front of Steve Borthwick, he scored the opening try of the day and then nailed 88 per cent of his throws.
Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie George are England’s first choice hookers but they will be 34 and 36 years old at next year’s World Cup.
Borthwick is looking at long-term candidates and here, against a loaded Saracens squad, Jibulu delivered the most assured performance of his fledgling career.
‘Any time you watch Jibs play, he makes an impact,’ said Sale coach Alex Sanderson. ‘He takes metres either side of the ball – and we knew that he had that in him.
‘This showed he’s of international class. He nailed his line-outs, and on the back of that he was a wrecking ball runner, causing havoc around the field.
‘We knew we had it in him. It could be the year where he explodes onto the international scene.
‘He’s that quality, he’s that kind of an athlete. You can get away with being fast and skilful in the Prem, but the power that’s required at international level is another level again. And he’s got that ability, he’s immensely strong.
‘Theo Dan’s a great player, isn’t he? He’s a brilliant player. But it doesn’t really seem that anyone’s snatching that. England, there’s been a lot of rotation after Dickie or Jamie.
‘There’s not really one person standing up and taking that number two shirt. This could be a good opportunity for him.’
His display will have made England head coach Steve Borthwick take note in a World Cup term
Saracens lost Dan to injury in the second-half and his medical prognosis could have a direct impact on Jibulu’s Test fortunes.
Sale simplified their lineout calls to accommodate Jibulu. They acknowledged that last season’s system was overcomplicated so they slimmed down the number of call options. ‘We’ve got good athletes so we don’t always have to beat them with movement,’ revealed Sanderson.
Sale’s big and powerful forwards dominated the close quarters. When cards to Alex Lozowski and Jacques Vermeulen reduced the visitors to 13-men, they buckled up at the breakdown and left Saracens with zero points from their first four visits to the 22.
Lawes delivered two momentum-swinging turnovers and Tom Curry set the tone with his workrate. Tom O’Flaherty and Ben Bamber carried impressively for Sale’s second-half tries, establishing a 21-10 lead that proved too much of a margin to overturn.
Sale disrupted Saracens’ phase play and their failure to convert tries from Eroni Mawi, Sione Va’enuku and Charlie Bracken ultimately cost Venter’s side.
‘The pressure’s off for another six days,’ said Sanderson, conscious of the top-four expectations on his squad.
‘We still haven’t found form yet, we know that. In terms of the physicality, the fight and the strategy, I was really impressed, Resilience breeds trust and fosters belief. Moments like that give the lads the knowledge that they can come to a place like the StoneX and get a result.
‘I’ll enjoy it tonight and then it’s back on the hamster wheel. I’ll do some wine-tasting with Brendan. I’ll go and have a glass of Malbec with him.’
