Andrew abandons prudence in attempt to rescue Newcastle

The Newcastle director of rugby, Rob Andrew, cut their wage bill by a significant amount last summer when he bade fond farewells to a quintet of seasoned internationals including Va'aiga Tuigamala, the most lavishly-rewarded player in the English club game. This flirtation with financial prudence by the original breakers of the domestic rugby bank did not last long: as of yesterday, the Tynesiders are once again within a gnat's crotchet of breaking the salary cap, which currently stands at a fraction under £2m.

Mark Mayerhofler, the 30-year-old former All Black centre, and Warren Britz, a 29-year-old one-cap wonder from South Africa, are the new men on the payroll. They join James Christian, the front-row recruit from Auckland who made his Premiership debut last weekend, and Mark Andrews, the celebrated Springbok lock, who is expected at Kingston Park early next month. Between them, the four southern hemisphere imports are charged with saving Newcastle from relegation and safeguarding the future of professional union in the north-east.

Andrew is one of the more enthusiastic fast-trackers of young English talent: when presented with a clean bill of health he is willing and able to field a back division of David Walder, Mike Stephenson, Jamie Noon, Tom May, Dave Richardson, Jonny Wilkinson and Hall Charlton. But clean bills of health are rarer than hen's teeth up Newcastle way, with Walder and Richardson on the long-term casualty list and Wilkinson still nursing the shoulder injury he received while being Springbokked to kingdom come at Twickenham 13 days ago. The Geordies are suffering, and their Premiership position – 12th out of 12, with the drop threatening – is in keeping with their physical state.

Good intentions are the first things to disappear through the window at moments of crisis, and Andrew will not think twice about pumping big money into four more foreign pension funds. "Mayerhofler is a quality player, a cultured footballer," he said yesterday. "Britz is a typical South African: big, athletic, a good ball player who can do a job anywhere across the back row."

Wilkinson, meanwhile, hinted that he might be available for Newcastle's next Premiership match, against London Irish in Reading four days after Christmas.

"It will be a week or two before I'm back in full training," said the world's leading outside-half, confirming that he would miss his side's Parker Pen Challenge Cup double-header with the Italians of Treviso. "It is a case of biding my time and not jumping the gun. If I do too much too early, four weeks of frustration could easily become eight or 10 weeks of frustration."

Jason Robinson, whose international performances during the autumn series at Twickenham did not threaten to reach Wilkinson's altitude, will start at outside-centre for Sale in tonight's big Heineken Cup meeting with Llanelli at Heywood Road. England's maverick full-back plays alongside the former Wallaby Graeme Bond, with Jos Baxendell performing the outside-half role in the absence of Charlie Hodgson and Nick Walshe. This largely untested midfield unit can expect a severe grilling from the strong Welsh trio of Stephen Jones, Leigh Davies and Matthew Watkins.

Sale cannot afford to lose to last season's semi-finalists: after misfires against Bourgoin and Glasgow, a third defeat would leave them with only a remote mathematical chance of qualification for the knock-out phase. Their cause will not be helped by the continuing unavailability of their international flanker, the injured Alex Sanderson, and the enforced demotion of Phil Davies, who was not registered for this competition. Apollo Perelini returns to the back row for this evening's fixture.

* The world sevens circuit begins this weekend with the 16-team Dubai Sevens. New Zealand are favourites, with England, South Africa, Australia and Fiji hoping to prevent them from lifting their fourth title.