7 hours ago
1
England fly-half George Ford is the latest player to ignore the lure of R360 after signing a three-year contract extension with Sale.
Ford was the man in possession of England’s No 10 jersey during the summer tour of Argentina and has committed beyond the 2027 World Cup.
The 32-year-old would have commanded close to £1million if he joined rugby’s breakaway league but he has opted to stay in Manchester.
Former England coach Eddie Jones had sounded out Ford about a move to Japan, while Leicester Tigers are also understood to have shown an interest.
Ford’s decision is a major boost for Sale, who this week announced that their secondary playmaker Rob du Preez has agreed to move to France next season.
England fly-half George Ford is signing a three-year contract extension with Sale Sharks
Ford in action during Sale's 28-16 loss against Bath earlier this month
Du Preez’s departure means the club will still need to go to market for reinforcements, but Ford’s contract extension eases the pressure on their half-back resources.
Ford will join up with England next week, as Steve Borthwick begins preparations for the upcoming autumn series.
He is the PREM’s in-form No 10, with Fin Smith and Marcus Smith yet to play this season following their bit-part roles on the Lions tour.
Fin Smith also committed his future to English rugby this week, having signed a contract extension with Northampton.
England is one of many leading rugby unions around the world to have warned their players they will not be selected if they join the R360 rebel league.
New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy have also moved against the breakaway competition - a significant blow for the new competition.
Around 200 players have agreed pre-contracts for R360's proposed launch in 2026.
Ford has represented England 102 times, putting him sixth on their list of most-capped players
Former England back Mike Tindall is a co-founder of the controversial R360 rebel league
A joint statement was released by the unions this week said in which they 'urged extreme caution for players and support staff considering joining R360'.
The statement added: 'We all welcome new investment and innovation in rugby and support ideas that can help the game evolve and reach new audiences. But any new competition must strengthen the sport as a whole, not fragment or weaken it.
'R360 has given us no indication as to how it plans to manage player welfare; how players would fulfil their aspirations of representing their countries, and how the competition would coexist with the international and domestic calendars so painstakingly negotiated in recent years for both our men's and women's games.'
Ford has won 102 caps with England since making his debut in 2014 and is joint-sixth on their list of record appearance-makers - level with Jamie George and behind only Courtney Lawes, Owen Farrell, Jason Leonard, Dan Cole and Ben Youngs.
