Diamond poses with the Premiership silverware at this week's season launch © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Steve Diamond

Tournaments/Tours: Aviva Premiership

Teams: England | Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks boss Steve Diamond has struck on a novel idea to propel his side back to the Aviva Premiership summit.

The Sharks claimed English rugby's top prize in 2006 but have spent the past few seasons flirting with relegation. In a bid to stop the rot, Diamond has produced a short film designed to highlight his ambition for the club and inspire a turnaround in fortunes.

The former Sale hooker, who made around 300 appearances for the club during his own playing days, returned to Edgeley Park for a second spell in charge in January and has since presided over a major overhaul. He staved off the threat of relegation after Mike Brewer's ill-fated reign and is now aiming to push for a top-six finish.

Explaining the motivation behind the film, Diamond said: "I've got a few mates who are in the television business, so I sat down and scripted what I felt would be a presentation. I showed it to one or two of the lads who had worked for me and they thought it was good.

"So I went away, hired a film crew and made the film. I showed it to the crew and nobody else, so none of the staff or players had seen it. It lasts 11 minutes and just sums up what we're about really and why we joined the club. It's not about me, nor is it just about the club. It's about why people have joined. The players answered honestly and it's built around that - the promises we've given to each other about what we want to try and achieve."

Diamond talks in the film as this season being "year zero in the history of Sale Sharks," adding: "Whatever happened yesterday is of no importance. The only thing that matters is tomorrow. Everything that has happened in the past is irrelevant. This season is crucial to our future. It's the ultimate test of our abilities and commitment.

"It will define or damage our careers and either enhance or dilute our individual reputations. It will be the pivotal moment in our working lives."

Not much has gone right for Sale since they toppled Leicester in the 2006 Premiership finale at a rain-soaked Twickenham. Key players have left, play-off bids have been replaced by relegation fights and crowds have fallen at Edgeley Park.

Diamond, though, has shown the door to more than 20 players and brought in a similar number since the end of last season. Charlie Hodgson, arguably the club's greatest-ever player, has joined Saracens after 11 years at Sale but Diamond has signed men with points to prove.

England flanker Hendre Fourie heads a quartet of players to arrive from Leeds Carnegie, with Kearnan Myall, Luther Burrell and Scott Mathie joining him in Manchester. New signing Sam Tuitupou has been appointed as club captain and Tony Hanks has arrived from Wasps as first-team coach.

"Everybody who has joined us is ambitious and has something to prove," added Diamond. "Sale have been a bottom two side for the last three years and there wasn't much that we've been doing that we wanted to keep, besides one or two players and one or two staff. We've had to revamp it completely.

"We've had to make the training ground a high-performance centre, which they always said it was but it never was. We've got the facilities right and hopefully we've got the personnel right. We've been hastily thrown together in one respect and we'll be missing around 12 players during the World Cup, but it's a growing process for us and we seem to be going in the right direction.

"I think 24 players and 10 staff have left. We've brought 21 to 22 new players and 14 new staff in. So we've got the balance in order; the right people behind the scenes and an enthusiastic bunch on the field. If we can remain injury-free, gel together and pick up our patterns of play then we can look forward to the season.

"The players and the staff who have come here have done so on the back of a vision created by myself and Brian Kennedy (Sale's owner) about being in the Heineken Cup. You can then attract better players, so that has to be the aim."