Sale bring in AI company as rugby clubs expand data-led recruitment

Sale are bringing an artificial intelligence company into their rugby operation, initially to analyse injury prevention and player availability, according to BBC Sport. Director of rugby Alex Sanderson intends to extend its work to recruitment. The company was recently bought by Sale's billionaire owner Simon Orange, BBC rugby union reporter Mike Henson reported on Thursday.

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The move follows a summer in which Sale added 12 players to their squad. Sanderson told the BBC that statistics help the club identify recruits whose performances match its requirements, including measures of attacking decisions, defensive work and metres gained after contact. Performance data from Courtney Lawes' spell at Brive in France's second division helped persuade Sale to offer the former England captain a one-year contract.

Sale's use of those figures forms part of a wider reliance on detailed match analysis across professional rugby. According to the BBC, all 10 Premiership clubs subscribe to Oval Insights' Advantage database, along with just over half of the United Rugby Championship teams and a significant number of clubs in France's Top 14. The service records roughly 2,000 events per match, producing about 10,000 individual pieces of information once additional details are included.

At Northampton, director of rugby Phil Dowson described using a model of the team's playing requirements to assess potential signings within its budget. Replacing Lawes after his departure in 2024 required consideration of line-out work, turnovers, ball-carrying and leadership. Dowson said that when an affordable recruit cannot provide everything needed in one position, the team must compensate elsewhere.

Northampton have also sought a perspective from Formula 1. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has visited to discuss his approach to data with Dowson. Despite working in a sport built around extensive technical measurement, Komatsu's emphasis on how the driver feels resonated with the Northampton coach, the BBC reported.

Both coaches described limits to what the numbers can establish. Sanderson said detailed performance analysis helps players reach the recruitment shortlist, but their character and suitability for the existing group remain essential. Coaches can also spot aspects of carries and clearouts that database categories miss. Sale's planned expansion of AI work therefore sits alongside assessments of how a player performs and how they would fit into the squad.