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Gallagher Premiership

George Ford the latest England star targeted by French clubs

By Neil Fissler

65 days ago

George Ford of Sale Sharks walks through a throng of supporters prior to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Play-Off Semi Final match between Bath Rugby and Sale Sharks at The Recreation Ground on June 01, 2024 in Bath, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

George Ford is the latest England international targetted for a move to France after Clermont Auvergne launched a bid to take him across the English Channel.

Sale Sharks have been locked in talks with the former Leicester Tigers and Bath fly-half and they had been confident of completing a deal to take him through until the next Rugby World Cup.

Clermont – who currently sit in 8th on the Top 14 table – are looking for someone to replace Benjamín Urdapilleta, who is returning to Argentina at the end of the season and are ready to put a spanner in the Sale Sharks bid to keep him.

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Oldham-born Ford, 31, is closing in on winning his 100th test cap and would become unavailable for Steve Borthwick if he decides to take up Clermont’s offer.

But Clermont, who have won three and lost three of their opening six games this season, might not be the only offer on the table, depending on what France star Matthieu Jalibert decides to do when his contract runs out next summer.

Bordeaux Begles are waiting to see if they have been successful in their bid to retain Jailbert’s services before they have a look to see who is available to move to the Stade Chaban-Delmas next season.

Castres are also looking at their options while both Paris clubs Stade Francais and Racing 92 are looking, but a move to the latter is unlikely considering that they signed Ford’s former England team-mate Owen Farrell last summer.

Ford missed England’s summer tour of New Zealand with an Achilles tendon injury and is battling to be fit for the Autumn international programme after suffering a tear to his right quad in the Sharks defeat to Saracens.

Ford didn’t need an operation on the injury and is targetting a return to action in time for England’s opener against New Zealand at Twickenham on 2 November.

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Comments

3 Comments

AA 65 days ago

Agreed Ford should take the money.

Sale scored 10 tries and bonus points in both matches Ford not played.

So regardless of his miraculous control in games they haven't missed him One bit.

Marcus nailed on 10 for England now . Fin back up .

Best go while he can .

MP 65 days ago

The Smiths are the future for England at 10, so he may as well take the cash.

Bull Shark 65 days ago

I hope George Ford moves to France. Would be a great move for him.

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Comments on RugbyPass

AlanP 7 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

No because if it was a 1:1 correspondence it would have been 10 top14, 3 URC and 3 Prem. I did arbitrarily put a max limit per league at 8 because for me if half of the teams are from the top14 it will make no sense. I genuinely didn't think the discussion will go that way tbh as for me it is a details.

104 Go to comments

fl 10 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

which post?

104 Go to comments

JW 12 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

Go back up the tree here and reply to his post if still awake.

104 Go to comments

JW 12 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

No, you were being an idiot by jumping on an irrelevant point.

104 Go to comments

fl 16 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

was I right to infer that you assumed a 1:1 correspondence between points and places?

If so why were you so evasive about admitting that?

I've typed out a reply regarding the pool format but I won't send it if you don't answer my question.

104 Go to comments

YeowNotEven 16 minutes ago

The All Blacks growth Ian Foster says was 'lost in translation' in 2023

Foster should never have been appointed, and I never liked him as a coach, but the hysteria over his coaching and Sam Cane as a player was grounded in prejudice rather than fact.

The New Zealand Rugby public were blinded by their dislike of Foster to the point of idiocy.

Anything the All Blacks did that was good was attributed to Ryan and Schmidt and Fozzie had nothing to do with it.

Any losses were solely blamed on Foster and Cane.

Foster did develop new talent and kept all the main trophies except the World Cup.

His successor kept the core of his team as well as picking Cane despite him leaving for overseas because he saw the irreplaceable value in him.

Razor will take the ABs to the next level, I have full confidence in that.

He should have been appointed in 2020.

But he wasn’t. And the guy who was has never been treated fairly.

7 Go to comments

JW 22 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

Alan was talking about the South Africans.

Applicants I mean to say, the most teams wanting to be a part of it. I think it only fair the get an applicable share (just reiterating my old point).

104 Go to comments

AlanP 23 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

I'll admit whatever you want if it makes us progress.

6/5/5 is good for me, or even 6/5/4 and bring last year's winner on top of that.

Agreed with 4 pool of 4 and home and away games?

104 Go to comments

fl 28 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

So was I right to infer that you assumed a 1:1 correspondence between points and places?

If so why were you so evasive about admitting that?

I don't have much of an opinion about how it should be done. It isn't my preferred system as I think there should be a significant number of teams who qualify directly as a result of their performance in the previous year's CC. But I think 6/5/5 or 6/6/4 would probably make the most sense as splits if they ever did go over to the UEFA model.

104 Go to comments

Ed Pye 29 minutes ago

Jamie Cudmore: I want to help rescue Canada from a 'slow agonising death'

Stopping the drop off out of high school has to be of highest priority - there is a lot of rugby played at high school level, but the pathways once they leave are not there. Provincial unions need support here from Rugby Canada to prop up that space.

Concussion is also an issue that has seen sports like ultimate frisbee gain ground. All competitions and clubs should integrate touch rugby teams into their pathways. Whenever clubs play XVs games, they should also be taking 20mins to play a competitive touch rugby game too.

Then take rugby branding and move it away from the fringe game that only crazy people play and make it an exercise-first sport that caters to everyone including people who don't want contact.

3 Go to comments

Ed the Duck 44 minutes ago

Glasgow coach jumps to defence of McDowall who faces possible huge ban

Yeah so it is not deliberate but does appear to make possible eye contact briefly when contesting the ball. If you look closely at the slow mo, when his left hand comes round, McDowalls eyes are closed so in that situation it’s not possible to be deliberate, and when you rewatch at full speed having seen that, it is clearly a messy scrap for the ball with the players concerned. Ban for reckless play, if anything for me. Definitely NOT deliberate eye gouging.

5 Go to comments

AlanP 48 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

Sure.

And what do you suggest should be the number of teams for the league with the most points?

104 Go to comments

Ed the Duck 50 minutes ago

Glasgow coach jumps to defence of McDowall who faces possible huge ban

Clearly. Haven’t seen it but will take a look, if deliberate then deserved ban incoming…

5 Go to comments

Ed the Duck 54 minutes ago

Does the next Wallabies coach have to be an Australian?

Kiss was doing very well indeed with Irish but Ulster had other off field issues going on, to say the least!!

Not sure it would be fair to judge McKellar on Leicester, it’s a tough gig with that dressing room and looked more like a poor fit more than anything else.

Would be a shock if O’Gara would touch it, he publicly dismissed Wales recently but covets France, England and Ireland - in that order.

Cotter would be interesting and he’s got qualities but he’s also got some elements of Eddie Jones about him believe it or not - he had the Scotland wc squad in camp, believe it or not, with the French foreign legion and ripping the heads off chickens!

96 Go to comments

fl 58 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

You haven't told me how you did it. I can infer that you assumed a 1:1 correspondence between points and places, but you kept insisting that you didn't after JW pointed out that "you can't use maths like that".

You also insisted you knew how the UEFA system works, despite the fact that the UEFA system doesn't assume a 1:1 correspondance between points and places.

104 Go to comments

AlanP 59 minutes ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

Come on surely this post is more interesting than the trash talk. Any response?

104 Go to comments

AlanP 1 hour ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’

Feel free to come with another conclusion and show your proof.

I've told you twice already how I did it but your refuse to listen and it is getting late.

104 Go to comments

fl 1 hour ago

‘The problem with this year’s Champions Cup? Too many English clubs’