Matt Williams says Leinster need to ‘smash’ Sale Sharks to keep the Champions Cup fair and exciting.
Former Leinster coach Matt Williams has shared his thoughts on why Leinster needs to really beat Sale Sharks in the Champions Cup quarter-final this Saturday at the Aviva Stadium. Leinster are seen as the favorites to win and move forward in the tournament.
Leinster have been playing well, especially in their last game against Edinburgh, where their attacking game looked strong. Many of their international players seem to have found their form again after the Six Nations. On the other hand, Sale Sharks have had a tough season in the Premiership and are dealing with injuries to key players like Luke Cowan-Dickie and Bevan Rodd, adding to an already long list of missing players.
Leo Cullen’s Leinster team is expected to take full advantage of Sale’s injury problems. In his column for the Irish Times, Williams didn’t show much sympathy for Sale, criticizing English teams, including Sale, for sending weaker squads to Champions Cup games since the competition format changed.
Williams said, “In a pool game, Sale got smashed by Toulouse 77-7. That scoreline was more than just a heavy loss—it was a total embarrassment.”
He added that many English clubs, including Sale, seem to give up on tough away games by playing their second-string players. Sale only has a 50% win rate in the pool stages and a negative points difference, which means that under the old system, they wouldn’t have even made it to the quarter-finals.
Williams feels this approach is disrespectful to the competition, the fans, and the other teams. He hopes Leinster will completely outplay Sale on Saturday. “Not because I just want to back Leinster, but because teams like Sale are ignoring the spirit of the Champions Cup. If you disrespect your opponent, you’re asking for trouble,” he said.
He wants Sale to face a tough loss so that teams who try to take shortcuts don’t benefit from it.
Leinster are chasing their fifth Champions Cup win this season, with the final set to be in Bilbao, where they last won in 2018. Sale, meanwhile, are hoping to reach the semi-finals for the first time ever.
Leinster won the United Rugby Championship last year, which was important after a few trophy-less seasons. But before they can think about big dreams this year, they need to get past Sale—and they must remain focused, because that’s when Sale plays their best rugby.