3 days ago
Sale's secret weapon is their ‘theme' for every match
Pete Richardson is not as recognisable as George Ford or either of the Curry twins. Even die-hard Sale Sharks supporters are unlikely to have heard of him. Even if the stars align for his club over the coming fortnight, he probably will not receive an official Premiership winners' medal.
But the 36-year-old has been a significant, if largely unsung, figure in Sale's route to the play-offs. He refines Alex Sanderson's 'brain farts' by creating a visual for the theme of each game. These have encompassed box-office movies, sporting icons and more original ideas.
'Earlier this season we were playing Harlequins, who are known for wanting to put on a show,' Richardson explains, by way of an example. 'Al wanted to twist that with the message we wanted to turn it into a horror show. There was a little bit of back-and-forth about how the tactics could fit that theme and I came up with 'The Sale Sharks Circus of Pain'.
'As you can imagine, the visuals for that were Harlequins players in cages and on the rack. Each of them, we tried to correlate to an aspect of Sale's game.'
Coaching hinges upon the capacity to impart information and delivery is critical. This often requires familiar information to be re-emphasised and repackaged. Creativity is an effective way of keeping the audience – the players who must implement a game plan – stimulated and engaged.
Born and bred in Salford, Richardson had held a season ticket for six years at Sale when he noticed that they were advertising for a graphic designer in 2023. Although the deadline had passed two weeks previously, he contacted the club. An interview was sorted for the next day. The day after that, he was offered the role and promptly left his post as a creative director at a Liverpool marketing agency.
'My day-to-day here is really varied,' Richardson continues. 'It spans across preparing decks for sponsorship to social media match graphics and kit campaigns. It's a really diverse role.'
One senses that brainstorming with Sanderson, which usually takes place on a Sunday before Richardson completes the artwork in time for it to be used in meetings on Mondays and Tuesdays, is a highlight. 'Al is a really open guy,' he adds.
'He likes the close-knit, family feel that we have here and what he's really good at is how clear he is with his ideas during what is essentially the briefing process. He's also open to things I might suggest just to elevate things. It's a collaborative approach, which is the same vibe around the whole building here, really.
'Al will give me a ring, we'll have a chat. I use a lot of artificial intelligence just to speed up the process because the slides have to be turned around for early the next week.'
Presentations reference specific strengths and weakness of rival sides, including individuals who can be targeted or need to be contained.
Other examples of theming at Sharks include 'Sale-xtric' for the home fixture against Northampton Saints at the end of March. The classic toy racing car sets – and their distinctive trigger controllers – were used to illustrate how it would be essential to 'push and pull' at different junctures.
The must-win match against Saracens in April was likened to the action film 300, in which Spartans defend their territory against a vast Persian invasion. Armand Duplantis, the phenomenal pole-vaulter who keeps extending his world record, was the poster boy for last weekend's nervy defeat of Exeter Chiefs as Sale were urged to concentrate on their own performance and redefine what is possible.
It is easy to be cynical about this process and tarnish it as gimmicky and tenuous. But theming can ramp up motivation and clarify objectives. Sanderson believes his group is driven by emotion, and often picks at any chips on shoulders by reminding players that, back in November, they were given a nine per cent chance of reaching the top four. With popular team-mates such as Jonny Hill poised to depart, 'earn another Monday' has been a recurring tag-line.
Lighter touches are welcome, too. After a 38-0 thrashing of Bristol Bears in December, doughnuts were ordered in to commemorate 'nilling' a dangerous opponent. When the stakes are high and margins are fine, every little helps and Richardson is certainly valued. Byron McGuigan, the Sharks defence coach who has been seconded to England for this summer's tour, enlisted Richardson's expertise to put together an introductory presentation to Steve Borthwick's squad.
With Sale's play-off semi-final against Leicester this Saturday, Sanderson felt a fleeting panic when he thought that Richardson was otherwise engaged last weekend. Following a 30-26 victory away to Exeter Chiefs to clinch third place on Saturday, he contacted his artistic colleague at around 2pm the next day.
'I'd watched our game, watched Leicester's game and then I turned my head to this,' Sanderson recalls. 'I sent over some pictures and got the reply back that Pete was on holiday. Honestly, I was like: 'Pete, why now?!' I was pulling my hair out and sent him a text that was really guilt-infused.' Richardson was at a hotel in Bristol, but had attended the Sandy Park win as a fan. 'He was always going to spend a couple of hours on it,' Sanderson adds.
'It's a growing relationship and one I've become increasingly dependent on. I used to send over quite complicated things. Now I'll send a few pictures through with suggestions of what I want each area to be represented by, and I'll trust Pete to use his artistic licence. And it comes back polished. He makes my chaotic brain farts seem like something professional.'
Richardson lightens mood for brutal semi-final
Sale lost 44-34 to Leicester Tigers last month and, in Sanderson's words, were 'beaten up in the second half'. Blood-and-thunder battles at the set piece and on the gain line will go a long way towards deciding what is likely to be a brutal semi-final. Sanderson will not reveal details of his game plan or its visual theme, but will say that he has 'tried to create some levity'.
'I'm not going to divulge [the theme] yet because it's for us,' he says. 'If I start talking about what we have been doing this week, they can use it as fodder themselves.
'It's a fine line, because if you just talk about set piece and gain line, we'd be seeing red for the whole game. We could overreach and give away too many penalties. It's understanding how we can channel that emotion through the lessons we've learnt.'
For Richardson, helping the Sale players to learn those lessons is a thrill. 'You can see the game plan brought to life in matches, which shows that the players have taken it on board,' he says. 'I hope that the visuals have helped to drive home the message. It's a privilege to have the opportunity to do it.'
