INCOMINGS
GEORGE FORD- Leicester Tigers
Back in November Sale announced the statement signing of George Ford from Leicester Tigers a week on from the announcement of the departure of current fly-half AJ MacGinty to Bristol Bears. With MacGinty leaving, the club needed to replace with an elite 10 and in the form of Ford that is exactly what the club has done. Ford, a 76-cap England international and world-class fly-half, is returning home to his roots having grown up in Oldham and the opportunity to play for his hometown club was a key factor in his decision to join Sale. He is currently playing some of the best rugby of his career this season for Leicester and will be coming to Sale in the peak of his career. It is believed that Leicester offered him significantly more money to stay at Welford Road but Ford wanted to return to the North West. Sale were heavily linked with a move for Ford when he left Bath in 2017 so the club have been very eager to bring Ford back to his roots for a number of years. As a world-class 10 Ford will undoubtedly improve Sale with his high-class game-management, goal-kicking and attacking creativity. AJ MacGinty will be missed but Ford is an upgrade on MacGinty. A 9-10-12 all-English axis of Raffi Quirke, Ford and Manu Tuilagi is incredibly exciting for all Sale fans. Ford’s influence will not just be on the field as he will be a great mentor for the young 10’s at the club including Kieran Wilkinson, Tom Curtis and Charlie Wardle.
JONNY HILL- Exeter Chiefs
The addition of the Exeter, England and British and Irish Lions lock Jonny Hill was another statement addition to go along with his England teammate George Ford. Hill, aged 27 and standing at 6 foot 7, has 9 England caps to his name and will only continue to add to that number over the coming years as he heads into the peak years of his career. The fact that Sale have been able to entice Hill away from the Chiefs as he hits the prime of his career is a significant statement of intent. He has been a key figure for Exeter in the second-row for a number of years and has won both the Premiership and the European Champions Cup during his time at Sandy Park. Hill comes from a winning environment at Exeter and brings a very strong all-round skill-set; dangerous from five metres out, great line-out option, strong in the loose and a physical presence. His experience at international level with England and the British and Irish Lions will undoubtedly be a huge help for the younger players in the squad. The signing of Hill ticks all the boxes and is a statement of intent to lure a player of his calibre away from a Premiership rival.
JOE JONES- Coventry Mid-Season
Joe Jones has returned to the club during the 2021-22 season from Coventry having left the club in 2020. Having spent a couple of years in the Championship with Doncaster and then Coventry, Jones is back to compete with the tightheads at the club. Initially Jones signed as short-term cover but has now signed a permanent deal with Sale. Jones was a solid option during his first stint at the club and since his return has acquitted himself well. Jones will be behind Nick Schonert and James Harper in the pecking order but has proven that he is a good option, especially when the salary cap is at a reduced level for the next two years and there is therefore less money to spend.
DOM BARROW- Come out of retirement
In January Dom Barrow came out of retirement to initially join Sale on trial and then a few years later he signed a permanent deal with the club. Barrow won the 2013 Junior World Championship with England and has previously played for Newcastle, Leicester and Northampton. Barrow was touted as a future England player in his younger years and despite taking a few years away from rugby, he has returned with a hunger in his belly and his passion for the game rekindled. It is very much a low risk, high reward signing for Sale as he will not be on much money and the upside is significant. If the move does not work out as planned, the club is not paying out a huge amount of money so it is a very low-risk signing. With a number of second-rows set to depart in the summer, bringing in a player of Barrow’s experience is a very astute and sensible signing.
ALEX GROVES- Bristol Bears Mid-Season
Former England Under-20 international second-row Alex Groves joined the club from Bristol Bears in February. Standing at 6 foot 8 and weighing 120kg, South African-born Groves is already a huge physical presence and is an exciting prospect at the age of just 21. It is believed that a number of rival Premiership clubs were very keen to sign Groves when he left Bristol so it was a real coup for Sale to snap him up. Groves is clearly a player with huge potential and the upside of a signing a player like this is significant. Groves has already spoken of his delight at being able to work with some of his heroes at Sale which will undoubtedly aid his development.
DEPARTURES
AJ MACGINTY- Bristol Bears
The American fly-half will be sorely missed at Sale having become a consistent performer for the side since he joined from Connacht in 2016. There was a significant amount of pressure on MacGinty when he arrived, filling the void left by the departure of Danny Cipriani. It took MacGinty a little bit of time to settle but in recent years has become a key cog in the Sale side. MacGinty may have been underrated around the Premiership for a number of years but has certainly not been at Sale. MacGinty brings an impressive all-round skill-set to the fly-half position, with his exceptional goal-kicking, defence and vision. MacGinty will be missed but Sale are upgrading at the position with the incoming arrival of George Ford.
JP DU PREEZ- Glasgow Warriors
The towering 6ft 10in South African lock will move to Glasgow Warriors at the end of the season. Du Preez arrived from the Cheetahs in South Africa early into the 2020-21 season. His height has undoubtedly been a huge help at the line-out, but du Preez has proven to be more than just a good option in the set piece. He has gone on to become a good squad player, available all year round and likely to not be on a high salary. Du Preez’s departure is perhaps a symptom of the reduction in the salary cap as he was offered significantly more money to join Glasgow as well as probably more game-time promised to him than he would have been set for at Sale.
DENNY SOLOMONA- Returned to New Zealand
Earlier this season Denny Solomona left the club with immediate effect to return to his native New Zealand. Solomona had an immediate impact upon his arrival from rugby league side Castleford Tigers in 2016 and had huge success for Sale for the majority of his time at the club. 10 tries in his first 11 games for the club made it an electric start to his career at the AJ Bell. He made his England debut less than a year after joining Sale and scored a mesmeric try on his debut to win the game for England against Argentina. In total, Solomona scored 46 tries in 88 games and for a number of years was one of the most prolific and best try-scorers in the Gallagher Premiership. In his last couple of years at the club he was unable to replicate the form of his early Sale days, but there were off-field issues that Solomona was contending with. Despite this, at his peak Solomona was a game-changing player and one of the best wingers in England.
JAMES PHILLIPS- Retirement
The club recently confirmed the sad news of James Phillips’ retirement after an injury he picked up in a pre-season game against Treviso ahead of the 2021-22 season. Phillips joined the club from Bath in 2018 having previously played for Bristol and Exeter. Despite not being a headline name, Phillips was a consistent performer for Sale, adding real ballast in the scrum and the line-out. Although not a regular starter, every squad needs players like Phillips to give the squad depth. Especially in a reduced salary cap era, players like Phillips are important squad options so he will be missed and it is incredibly sad that his career has come to an end in this way.
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