Sale Sharks handed 'suspended' 5 point deduction

Van Rensburg joined Sale on a permanent basis ahead of the 2018-19 season after a loan stint - but the Rugby Football Union revealed he had also signed a deal with Gloucester.

The centre has also been fined £32,500 for his actions, with £25,000 of that fine going to Gloucester as repayment for an advance the club paid him before he opted to join Sale.

Sale Sharks were handed a deduction of five match points – which is suspended for the two forthcoming seasons – and fined £20,000 for their involvement.

And player agent Matthew Ginvert, who represented van Rensburg, has received a fine of £3,750 and “a reprimand” for his part in the series of events.

Van Rensburg joined Sale in 2018 and remains part of their squad under Steve Diamond. 

The 25-year-old was charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game contrary to RFU rule 5.12, while Sale were charged with breaches of RFU regulation 7.5 relating to approaches to players.

The RFU said both club and player accepted the charges.

We’ve gone from the inception of the Premiership in 1997/98 because, as you all know, that’s when club rugby ‘started’.

This loan move seemed to make perfect sense, but due to a number of factors it hasn't really worked out. Undergoing knee surgery immediately following the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Sharks fans didn't see him debut until a 30 minute cameo against Saracens in early February. Recalled by Eddie Jones for the Six Nations after making just one start for Sale, his loan expires on June 30. After that date, he is due to return to Newcastle and can no longer play for Sale if the season were to be extended into July.

This signing had every Sale fan very excited with the Scottish powerhouse penning a three-year contract. However, never had such a big man, done so little. The giant Scot would only stay for one season, playing 16 underwhelming matches, scoring 1 try before joining French club Castres.

There was a lot of excitement when Charnley dumped rugby league, leaving Warrington, where he'd scored 42 tries in 57 games, to sign for Sale. However, the speedster was not able to repeat his scoring success in Rugby Union that he enjoyed in Rugby League, scoring a meagre four tries in 32 games. A disappointment.

Another winger who didn't live up to the hype. He joined from Newcastle on a two-year contract. however, his contract was cancelled when he was banned for 18 weeks for biting Denis Leamy in a Heineken Cup game against Munster. As a result, the powerhouse winger had his contract terminated after scoring zero tries in his five appearances.