Sale Sharks and England prop Bevan Rodd has committed his long-term future to the club by signing a new three-year deal.
The 23-year-old loosehead, who was born in Dunoon, western Scotland, joined the Sale academy in 2018 and made his first team debut just a year later. He’s gone on to make almost 80 first team appearances.
Bevan has represented England at U16s, U18s, U20s and full international level, winning six full caps and featuring against Chile and in the bronze medal match against Argentina at the recent World Cup.
Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson said: “Bevan will play for the British and Irish Lions – I’m really confident about that. He’s one of the most talented looseheads I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and I’ve been lucky to work with a few.
“He had to improve his set-piece and a lot of that comes with age, size and weight. You can see from his performances in the World Cup and this season so far that he’s done that.
“He plays like a back-rower but I think his x-factor is the energy that he brings to the team when he runs onto the field. It’s characters that win you trophies and you can see how much fight and desire Bevan has to win with this club.
“We have loads of really talented young props but Bevan is international class now and he’s only 23 years old. How good will he be in a couple of years? He’s really exciting and I’m buzzing that he wants to stay here.”
Bevan said: “There was never any doubt about wanting to stay. This club means a lot to me, I get to play rugby with some of my best mates every day, and I know it’s the best place for me to develop my game and grow on and off the field.
“We’ve shown we can compete for the big trophies and I’m really excited to see what this group can achieve together in the years to come.”
Bevan comes from a sporting family with both his parents having represented Scotland at volleyball.
Originally dual-qualified for both England and Scotland, he began his rugby journey playing for Buchan School, on the Isle of Man, where his talent was spotted at an early age.
He was just ten years old when he impressed national selectors enough to earn selection for the English Prep School Barbarians Under 11 team for their tour of Dublin.
Bevan moved to Sedbergh School, in Cumbria, where he was an important member of the school’s Daily Mail Schools Trophy Final triumph in December 2017, starring alongside former Sharks star Cameron Redpath.
He joined the Sale Sharks Academy in 2018 and became a regular in the U18s and Jets squad before making his first team debut in 2019.
In 2021 Bevan received his first call-up to Eddie Jones’ England squad for the Autumn internationals against Canada and the USA.
