George Ford tipped as ‘sure bet’ for England as he looks to shed Rugby World Cup ‘bridesmaid’ tag
George Ford hailed by Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson.
George Ford has been backed to lead England into the next Rugby World Cup after refusing to be “bitter” about his British and Irish Lions snub.
Having missed out on the Lions’ trip Down Under to face the Wallabies, the fly-half was picked to play for England in their summer tour of Argentina and the USA.
Ford featured in all three Tests and the opening game of the tour against the Pumas saw him reach a century of Red Rose caps.
Imperious form
Last night, as Sale opened the new Gallagher Prem season with an impressive 27-10 bonus-point home win over Gloucester, Ford looked at his imperious best once again.
The master craftsman orchestrated proceedings with his customary class and Sale boss Alex Sanderson backed Ford to maintain his form heading into the next World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Sanderson told Planet Rugby post-match: “George is loving his rugby – he’s loving getting out there and playing.
“When you’re like that, it shines through in terms of your energy and performances.
“There wasn’t any part of him that was bitter about missing out on Lions selection.
“From talking to him, you think ‘oh God, he’s maybe missed out on an opportunity with the Lions’.
“But no, it’s been like ‘I’m really enjoying this and taking the lead’ and he wants to win a World Cup with England now.
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“He’s been to one final [in 2019] and has got the team to the latter stages twice only to be the bridesmaid.
“He’s been dropped from that – twice – so there’s a feeling that if he stays on form then he’s going to be the guy who gets them into a final and is able to lift a World Cup.
“He’s certainly in that form, isn’t he? Over the summer [with England] and tonight for us here at Sale.
“George has got some stiff opposition with Fin [Smith] but you can’t look much past his experience and decision-making. He’s a sure bet, he should be in that squad.”
It is a family affair at Sale now after Ford’s elder brother Joe joined the club’s coaching staff from Doncaster Knights during the summer.
Yet Sanderson was keen to stress that Ford senior is at Sale on merit and not because of his family ties to George.
Briliant coach
Sanderson added: “They go home and pour over clips, but Joe is a brilliant coach in his own right and he’s not here because of George.
“He’s here because of his own skillset and the relationship I’ve had with him.
“But obviously it helps to be able to lean into someone of George’s intellectual property and say ‘what do you think?’.
“We would do that anyway but Joe is a lot closer to him and gets a lot more out of him.”
