A renewed focus

It was quite good to have a week off last week.

The season hasn't gone quite the way we had wanted it to, so sometimes a week's rest can be as good as a week's training.

It's good to be able to collect your thoughts and focus on what remains ahead of you.

I know most of the fans will agree with me, it's good to have a bit of time off work! When you come back you always feel better.

The big news this week is obviously Robbo's announcement.

It's been really busy all week but I suppose it really is a massive bit of news.

Personally, I'm really going to miss Robbo. I always got on really well with him and there is a group of us - me, Robbo, Charlie (Hodgson) and Quates (Mark Cueto) - who have a really good banter between us and it won't be the same without him.

What he lacks in height, he more than makes up for in wit, I can tell you that! He's the best person I know in turning a skit on him into a skit on someone else.

But he better be ready because we're all getting together next week to plan the mother of all pranks as a send off.

I've got no doubt that he will go down as one of the best ever to play the game - he was just amazing.

He's definitely the best ever cross-code player in my opinion, although I'm sure Jonathan Davies would have something to say about that.

As a club, we're really going to miss his leadership. I know people have questioned whether or not Robbo should be captain but, believe me, he is an inspirational leader both on and off the pitch.

But we'll also miss those magic moments. The likes of the try against Wasps in last season's Premiership final. Nobody has dancing feet quite like him.

His stats are remarkable too and if he manages to get up to 50 caps for England during this year's World Cup then I'd like to see the list of the fastest half century of England Test appearances because I reckon Robbo will be right up there.

But it's family time for him now. I've seen the comments in the press that Sale didn't move quick enough to re-sign him but I reckon too much is being made of that.

Robbo has had his mind made up for a while. I thought he would have made himself a bit more open to offers but I think he's looking forward to a change.

I saw that he said he wanted to live like the Waltons and that really doesn't surprise me because he can also be a real crackpot sometimes! That said, I wouldn't mind that kind of lifestyle myself if I had the kind of money he does.

Getting back to on-pitch happenings, this week's game against Leicester is a massive chance for us to end our winless run.

It was a major disappointment losing in the EDF Cup semi-final but they were strong.

After the disappointments they suffered last season, missing out in the Heineken Cup and to us in the Premiership, I reckon (head coach) Pat Howard got them fired up this time round and their response has been impressive.

We didn't play badly at the Millennium Stadium, we just weren't good enough.

But with them seeing the game this week as a chance to rest some players then it should be a chance for us to get our revenge.

We have the players to do the job, we just need to go out there and prove we're no pushovers.

On a side note, I know there have been a few rumours flying about that I want to leave the club but they couldn't be further from the truth. I've been at this club all my career and I love it here. I may be out of the team at the minute but I'm determined to fight my way back into contention, it's just a case of continually improving my game. It's the same for everyone here. Nobody can just expect to be picked, you have to earn your place and it's up to me to do that.