Bryan Takes Red Path to Sale

Former Gloucester boss Bryan Redpath has been officially confirmed as Sale's new director of rugby.

Redpath left Gloucester ahead of the club's Aviva Premiership clash with Sale in April after taking responsibility for the club's poor run of results.

Redpath, though, had long been linked with a return to the Sharks, with the former Scotland international having made 80 appearances for the club in the No.9 shirt.

However Sale chief executive Steve Diamond insists that he only approached Redpath once he had parted company with Gloucester.

"Anybody who knows what happened at our club in the last 15 months will be aware that we termed it 'Year Zero', and that was just the start," Diamond told the club's official site.

"Looking to the future we have a number of good players joining us. What I've always wanted since returning to the club was a proven coach in the Aviva Premiership, and in Bryan Redpath that's exactly what we've got.

"Bryan became available from Gloucester at the end of last season. As soon as he did, we were keen to talk to him. Following our discussions he agreed to be our director of rugby, and we are delighted.

"Bryan is very similar to me in many respects. His DNA was on the club for a long time, as was mine. There are two routes we need to take going forward.

"I can take the strategy and drive the club forward off the field, but in the last weeks of last season I found myself trying to be 'master of all trades' and have to be honest in that nobody can do that well.

"I was therefore looking for someone who had a similar hardworking, knowledgeable outlook with no 'messing around' to deal with on field matters . Bryan is absolutely ideal. He has very similar attributes to myself, although in all honesty he was a better player."

Redpath played for Sale between 2000 and 2005 and captained the side to the Parker Pen Shield victory in 2002.

After hanging up his boots, he went on to work under Dean Ryan as backs coach at Gloucester. He stepped up to head coach at Kingsholm in 2009 and guided the side to the 2011 LV= Cup.

However Redpath is now relishing forward to returning to the Sharks.

"There have been a few changes here. Seven years away coaching down at Gloucester has been great for me and it's great to come back up," he said.

"There are still a few 'old' faces hanging around! I'm delighted with the move and am looking forward to the challenge ahead.

"It's a great move for the club to be playing at the new stadium at Salford, which is bigger and has easy access. We need to make it somewhere special for Sale Sharks - the venue definitely looks as though it's going to be good for us."