Sale Sharks and England fly-half George Ford has committed his long-term future to the club by signing a new three-year contract.
The Oldham-born 32-year-old, who has won 102 England caps, became Shark #358 when he returned home to the north to sign for Sale ahead of the 2022/23 season.
After recovering from an achilles injury, he led the team to a Prem final in his first season and has gone on to make 44 Sharks appearances, scoring 341 points.
This season, he produced a player of the match performance in round one, before slotting two trademark drop goals in a narrow defeat to former club Bath in round two.
On Friday he kicked 12 points to guide Sharks to a record 57-5 win over Newcastle Red Bulls.
On the international front, George made his England debut in 2014 and played a key role as Eddie Jones’s men reached the World Cup final in 2019. This summer he won his 100th cap as he guided England to a series win in Argentina.
George said: “It’s brilliant to have the contract agreed. I’ve really enjoyed my time here and I’ve loved representing the north. The importance of that isn’t lost on me. I drive from Saddleworth to Carrington every day and I can see the city in the distance and it makes me incredibly proud.
“I’m proud to represent the region and the people up here and I want to inspire the next generation. You see so many kids up here who are passionate about playing rugby and I want us to be a team who inspire those kids to want to do what we’re lucky enough to do.
“With the players and the coaches that we have here I feel like I can still improve and be challenged as a player. I feel the best place for me to do that is right here.
“As a team we want to take the next step and I’m more determined than ever to help us do that. The ambition from the club is obvious and I know we’re going to achieve great things in the future, but we’re at our best when we focus on the next game.
“I want to keep playing well for Sale Sharks and I want to keep influencing the team as much as I can. That comes first. I love playing for my country but I know that I only get that opportunity if I’m playing consistently well for Sale. So that’s my focus.
“You don’t make a decision like this just on rugby, there’s loads more to consider. My wife is running four restaurants as well as being a full-time mum and to be around to help and support her in any way I can is so important to me. That’s played a big part in us being so settled and happy here.”
Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson said: “George is in the form of his life and he’s a player we’ve built a team around. He’s the sort of player who attracts top quality players to want to play for the club because they all want to learn from him.
“He’s one of the first people I speak to post-game and confide in ahead of the challenge of responding to a win or a loss, because of the way he sees the game. As much as he inspires the players, he inspires the coaches too.
“This shows the vision and the ambition of a club that’s wanting to lay down a real foundation for the future. It shows what we’re all about.
“George could have his pick of any club in the world and he chooses Sale Sharks and that’s big testament to us and what we’re building.”
George made his Prem debut for Leicester Tigers in 2009, becoming the youngest rugby union player to make his professional debut in England, at just 16 years and 237 days.
After winning a Premiership title with Tigers in 2013, he moved to Bath, winning the Gilbert Golden Boot as the top-points scorer and winning LV= Young Player of the Year, before returning to Leicester for the 2018-19 season.
In total he made 88 appearances for Leicester Tigers before making the switch to return home to Oldham, where he runs a café with brother Joe, who was named Sharks’ attack coach this season.
