"It was a thrilling tournament that came down to the last weekend to decide this years winner and it was fascinating to get the players perspectives, particularly with Tom and Byron on opposite sides"
Mark Cueto
An all-star line-up of Sale Sharks’ international rugby players graced the offices of Salford-based investment firm AJ Bell to discuss and review the recently concluded Six Nations tournament.
Former England hero Mark Cueto was the host for the night and was joined by England’s newest star Tom Curry – who at just 20-years-old was hailed as England’s player of the tournament – alongside England teammate Chris Ashton, Scotland’s Byron McGuigan and Sale Sharks Director of Rugby Steve Diamond.
Organised by the Premiership Rugby side as part of its successful Business Club, almost 100 guests attended the panel-style discussion to hear from the quartet as they shared their thoughts on the tournament.
Tom Curry, a graduate of the Sale Sharks academy system alongside his twin-brother Ben, made 86 tackles over the five international matches – more than any other play across the entire tournament, and also lead the England squad in the total number of turnovers, winning five.
Fellow Sharks team-mate Chris Ashton, known for his infamous ‘Ash-Splash’ try celebration, played in England’s first two matches of the tournament. That included starting the game against France which finished in a 44-8 victory for England, before picking up a calf-strain that ruled him out of the squad for the next three games.
Byron McGuigan played in Scotland’s final two games of the tournament, starting the game against England, which finished in a draw after Scotland battled back from being down 31-7 at half time.
“It was a thrilling tournament that came down to the last weekend to decide this year’s winner and it was fascinating to get the players’ perspectives, particularly with Tom and Byron on opposite sides of the field in that memorable England vs Scotland match”, said Mark Cueto, who is now Sale Sharks Commercial Director.
“It’s fantastic for our club that we have international superstars such as Tom Curry signed up with us for years to come and we’ve worked hard this year to make sure that our best players are signed up to long-term deals.
“Tom has done his World Cup chances the world of good after a dominant Six Nations and we couldn’t be prouder. The sky is the limit for him, and we’re excited to watch him continue to progress at Sale Sharks.
“Equally, having experienced professionals like Chris and Byron contributing at the highest level just shows that the game’s best players recognise the direction this club is going in and what we are looking to achieve over the next few years, with both Chris and Byron set to be a big part of that.
“Through our growing Business Club, our supporters get the chance to meet and speak to the players they cheer on week in, week out and its always brilliant to get everyone together at events like this.”
After the players had concluded a question and answer session, the microphone was passed to the floor as the business club guests were then able to ask the players to further discuss their thoughts on the tournament.
“As a long-term partner of Sale Sharks we take great pride in supporting the team and being able to give the fans a platform to meet the players, said Billy Mackay, Marketing Director at AJ Bell.
“Steve and the players were brilliant, giving an open and honest review of the tournament. We look forward to hosting another event for the club in the near future.”
