Alex Groves

South African lock Alex Groves, born on 5 January 2001, is part of the Sale Sharks setup in the English Premiership. A tall, physical second-rower, he has progressed into Sale's senior environment as part of the club's pipeline of developing tight forwards. At lock, Groves offers the core requirements of the position: lineout work — both as jumper and lifter — set-piece weight at the scrum, and the willingness to operate in the less glamorous areas where second-rowers earn their reputation. The collisions-heavy nature of Premiership rugby places a premium on the kind of industrious, physical second-rowers his game profile suggests. Sale Sharks have built a strong forward culture under their current coaching set-up, with an emphasis on producing hard-nosed, set-piece-focused forwards capable of matching any pack in England. For Groves, the pathway at the club is about cementing game time, competing within a deep second-row group and turning academy potential into sustained senior selection.