Revealed: Why England playmaker George Ford decided to stay at Sale amid Top14 interest

Ross Heppenstall
George Ford in action for Sale Sharks against Leicester Tigers in 2024.

George Ford in action for Sale Sharks against Leicester Tigers in 2024.

When George Ford was hailed as a “genius” and a “strategic rugby god” by Alex Sanderson after Sale beat Exeter on Saturday, it said much for the England fly-half’s enduring class.

Ford had just produced a masterful display in atrocious conditions, his educated right boot guiding Sanderson’s team expertly around the park to clinch a 28-10 bonus-point win.

In the driving wind and rain, the value of Ford, a master of his craft, was underlined on a ground where Sale remain formidable.

Post-match, talk turned to Ford’s future.

Missing silverware

Since Simon Orange and Ged Mason took ownership of the club from Brian Kennedy in 2016, Sale have won the Premiership Rugby Cup and nothing else.

Progress in Europe has been thin on the ground, while there was a Premiership final appearance in 2022-23 and a play-off semi-final defeat last term.

Yet, crucially, still no championship since their solitary title success in 2006.

Goodness knows how many millions of pounds Orange and Mason have poured into the club, but you can be rest assured it will be an eye-watering sum.

Ford, one of their highest earners, arrived from Leicester in the summer of 2022 and his three-year contract was due to expire at the end of this season.

He had lucrative offers from French Top 14 clubs, thought to be Toulon and Clermont Auvergne, and spoke to them about a potential move abroad.

But now Ford has taken the decision to exercise an option to extend his stay at Sale by another season, keeping him there until the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Planet Rugby can reveal that Ford had to make a decision by December 31 and he informed Sale earlier this month that he would be staying.

“I’m going to be at Sale for the rest of this year and next season,” confirmed the Oldham-born playmaker, still working his way back to full fitness after a knee injury.

“I’ve made that decision, so I’m really buzzing to carry on here and am looking forward to it.

“I really love it here, I love being at home and around my family, and I just want to make sure we’re successful at Sale. I’m doing everything I can to help bring success to the club.”

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Still in England contention

The decision to stay in the Premiership will keep Ford in the England reckoning, unlike former captain Owen Farrell, whose move to Racing 92 last summer made him ineligible for Red Rose selection.

Ford, who became the youngest player to make his professional debut for Leicester as a 16-year-old in 2009, was one of 17 England players handed Enhanced Elite Player Squad contracts by Steve Borthwick two months ago.

Ford, who has various local business interests in the Saddleworth area of Oldham, said the decision to stay at Sale was driven by his contentment on and off the field.

His father Mike is managing director of Oldham Rugby League Club, who have just been promoted to the second-tier Championship and have ambitions to reach Super League.

Ford added: “It’s brilliant because I get the opportunity to watch Oldham and I run a coffee shop and a restaurant too.

“My elder brother, Joe, who coaches Doncaster Knights RUFC, lives in the same village so it’s brilliant to be in and around my family with my wife and daughter. I’m really enjoying myself at Sale as well.”

This time next year, Ford will again weigh up his future as the same conundrum over whether to stay at Sale for another year rears its head.

Ford’s decision is likely to depend on how much progress Sale make in the next 12 months and his position in the England hierarchy with the 2027 World Cup slowly creeping into focus.

For now, Ford will aim to add to his 98 Test caps in England’s forthcoming Six Nations campaign.

He dovetailed effectively with England scrum-half Raffi Quirke against Exeter at the weekend, adding: “Raffi is full of energy; he’s so instinctive and so dangerous.

“It was his first Premiership start of the season but he’ll just keep getting better. He’s a big threat for us.”

READ MORE: Sale Sharks v Exeter Chiefs: Five takeaways as England ‘mastermind’ guides Sale to gutsy win