Heineken Cup Pools & Fixtures

“The last two years have been massively tough for me,” he said. “I was probably a bit irresponsible going to France with my twins three months old. It was a strain on the family and me. I went to a fantastic club mind you – in Brive – but I think I was massively irresponsible going to France, and I think that affected my game.

“In fact, no, it did affect my game because I knew the pressures I was putting on my wife and kids. So I’ve come back home and I’m wanting to put it right,” said the 31-year-old.

The move to Manchester may have decreased his sunlight quota – “I’ve never seen a place fucking rain so much,” he said – but it seems to have increased his inner equilibrium.

“I feel a hell of a lot more settled. The girls have come on massively and a happy, happy family life plays a major role on how a player plays on a Saturday. Because if he’s relaxed off the pitch then rugby will happen on the pitch. I’ve got to say that my family has been fantastic and the little girls are growing up quick,” he added.

Cohen’s time in France at least prepared him for what lay in store for his new team-mates when they travelled to Toulouse for Saturday’s game, and he said he was happy with how they coped despite fielding an inexperienced side.

“I thought Toulouse were clinical - very clinical at some points – but we forced them into errors and kept the score down. I think we could have prevented a couple of tries but overall players gave 100% and you can’t ask for more than that.”

Cohen even managed a last-minute try, halving his try total for the past two seasons combined.

“In two seasons I scored two tries. Two tries in two years.” he reflected. “Second-highest try-scorer in English rugby and I haven’t scored more than one try a season. That’s horrendous. I’m probably one of the most frustrated players out there in world rugby at the moment,” added Cohen.

“I was under the posts and thinking ‘this can’t be real, I must be dreaming’. It was a fantastic play by Sean Cox and a lovely pass, and I managed to get around whoever I got around and managed to score. It’s just a nice feeling to score and you’ve got to be there and you’ve got to dot them over, so I just need to get that feeling back,” he said.

The hulking winger believes the injury-enforced loss of Charlie Hodgson has been a major factor behind Sale’s more restricted game plan so far this season, but hope the return of the sometime England fly-half will spark a change in both dynamics and fortunes. “Having him at the helm steadies the ship,” he added.

Cohen admitted that Sunday’s 36-17 defeat had been a “damage limitation” exercise, but hope that the younger players who sampled the 30,000 strong crowd (and the star-studded opposition) will have benefited from the experience.