Redpath: In confident mood

And Redpath is hoping a win in the Heineken Cup can kick-start their ailing Premiership campaign.

Redpath, who is still looking for a first win as director of rugby since re-joining the club from Gloucester, welcomes the distraction of Europe, desperately hoping a change of competition can bring a change of fortune after losing their opening six matches of the Aviva Premiership season.

Sale, eight points adrift at the foot of the table, are facing difficult trips to Montpellier and big-spending Toulon but first entertain Cardiff at the City of Salford Stadium on Sunday lunchtime and Redpath says he would happily take "a lucky" victory after last Friday's unfortunate home defeat by Leicester.

"We're desperate to get that first win under out belt and I thought that certainly that first on Friday night was as good as we've been all season," he said.

"There is a new chance this weekend. Everyone fought hard last year to get into the Heineken and we've got to make sure we give it a full blast.

"We are getting there. We've got to keep faith in what we want and keep working hard and be honest with each other.

"Anyone with six defeats is going to lose a bit of confidence and we have. It's mine and Steve Diamond's responsibility to try and make we stay focused and concentrate on the things we can deal with."

Diamond, the club's chief executive, has been forced to take on the role of forwards coach since sacking Steve Scott last month and is thought to be lining up former All Blacks boss John Mitchell for a return to the club he served with distinction as a player and coach.

That appointment would put even more pressure on Redpath but the former scrum-half is determined not to be sidetracked by the speculation.

"I question myself as much as anyone," he said. "Obviously we've not got a forwards coach and Steve said he was going to do it on a caretaker role.

"If someone came along that he deemed is fit to coach the forwards at this club he'd bring him in asap. John's name has been put to the club and that is where it is.

"Steve, along with (owners) Ian Black and Brian Kennedy will be the major decision-makers on that.

"We do need a forwards coach. For me, whoever it may be, I just want to get on with coaching and not get too bogged about who it is or about my position.

"This is not about me, it's about Sale Sharks and us getting on track and winning again.

"That may be an ugly win, a lucky win, I don't care. We need to get a win under our belts to get a bit of confidence.

"Whoever I'm working alongside, I'll be only interested in getting the players to perform and prepare them as well as we can."

Sale are 200-1 outsiders to win the Heineken Cup and Redpath accepts that his side face a difficult enough task even to get beyond the group stage.

"It's fairly hard for any club in England to do well in Heineken if you've not got the resources potentially of a Leicester or a Northampton," he said.

"With my previous club we had four wins last year and we were nowhere near it.

"Cardiff are the number one seeds in our group and you've got Toulon who are flying high in the French league and spending millions.

"For us it's great to be in and we should look at it as a massive opportunity to play against the best and also push ourselves mentally.

"It's not something we are probably ever realistically thinking about winning or competing at the top end of. But our home matches have to be very competitive because our home support deserve that."