“I’m genuinely really looking forward to pre-season,” Barrow adds. “I’d always dreaded it before as I’m sure most of the boys do. It’s going to be tough and always is. But I know what to expect and you have to turn it around psychologically from ‘that’s scary and intimidating’ to ‘it’s f—ing brilliant, it’s exciting, it’s a challenge, how much can I get out of myself?’”
With scope to reflect, Barrow now wishes he had “shown more resilience” after his England setback in 2017. He has been able to ruminate on another question, too. Sanderson asks all newcomers to pinpoint their “X-factor” attributes.
Over three “hugely influential and beneficial” seasons with Leicester, Barrow remembers Richard Cockerill praising his reliability and consistency. At Sale, Barrow will target his defensive organisation, his carrying and line-out leadership. The last of these goals will be helped by the perspective of his glimpse of life outside of professional sport.
“I’ve heard lads complain about still being in the club, saying it’s been a long day when it’s half three and they’re sitting in the sauna,” Barrow says. “In the real world, I was leaving for the office at half five and having 13 or 14-hour days. All of a sudden, it’s not a chore spending a couple of hours going through defensive line-outs at the end of the day.”
Besides being struck by the passion of Sanderson and others in the “back office” at Sale, Barrow felt valued by little touches such as arriving for the first day of his trial to find initialled training kit laid out for him. His sights are set on repaying that faith. He wants to “tidy up the definition” of a worn-out cliché in the process.
“Everyone says ‘I want to be as good as I can be’ but what does it actually mean?” Barrow finishes. “People throw it around, go to training, go home and play the PlayStation. Then it doesn’t mean anything.
“I’ve thought a lot about it and, if I truly do that, then there are two things. One, I feel like I can gain satisfaction from knowing that I’ve put everything out there because I don’t feel like I have yet. Two, I do genuinely believe that if I’m able to unlock my true potential, then international honours are an absolute possibility.”
