George Ford opens up on offers to leave Sale and Owen Farrell’s England return

We met at Tuesday night’s Premiership awards ceremony in London, where Ford was placed second by his fellow players in the vote for player of the season, ahead of Bath fly-half Finn Russell and behind winner Tomos Williams, the Gloucester scrum-half.

Ford was also named ahead of Russell, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith as the No 10 in the league’s team of the season.

And the mere mention of another semi-final in the 32-year-old Ford’s career comes with a mutual acknowledgement that covering them all in one chat would be impossible.

He started England’s winning 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand and the losing final against South Africa, and he was a sub for the losing semi against the Springboks in 2023.

And in the Premiership, those two victories with Leicester came either side of a spell playing for Bath, and he has lost three finals too, with each of his senior clubs.

Two years ago at this semi-final stage, Ford kicked 11 points for Sale in a 21-13 win over Leicester.

Last season, when Sale lost their semi-final away to Bath, 31-23, they scored two tries with the catch and drive, but for no obvious reason changed tack, and Ford kicked for goal just before half-time.

“It hasn’t been plain sailing, has it,” Ford says, smiling.

“Knockout games are different. Everyone knows what’s riding on it but ironically it’s not about big things or special things. It’s about how consistently well you can do the basics.

“If we go [to Leicester] and our discipline is great and we defend well and we get out of our half efficiently and we’re ruthless when we get in the opposition half, we’ve got every chance of winning the game.”

Ford’s 16th senior season has been eventful, even by his standards.

Leaving aside a match in September when he limped off after six minutes, Sale have won 10 of the 11 league games he has started.

His smooth passing and spiral kicks are the glue and the galvanisation for a big pack and brilliantly dangerous back three: from Joe Carpenter to Bevan Rodd and bags of talent in between.

Yet Ford became stuck behind the two Smiths for England selection in the Six Nations, after a rough time missing late kicks against New Zealand in the autumn, and the injury before that, and he has been overlooked for the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.

So having reached 96 England caps in March 2024, Ford has edged onto 99 now. But he greets this fact with grinning positivity, too.

Not least because he might well captain England on their summer tour to Argentina and the United States, and in so doing finally join Ben Youngs, Dan Cole, Owen Farrell, Jason Leonard, Courtney Lawes, Jamie George and Danny Care as England men who have hit the ton.

“Looking back [at the Six Nations] now, I had a really good eight weeks of training, it was like another pre-season for me, with [only] a 20-minute appearance against Wales,” Ford says. “You actually come out feeling really good.”

He had turned down offers from French clubs to keep doing this. And he says cash from a so-far mystery breakaway league wouldn’t sway him, if it meant giving up on his country.

“For me the most privileged thing, the biggest honour is playing for England,” Ford says.

“It always has been, ever since I was a kid. I don’t think anything would make that change. Maybe for a couple of other people 100 caps was the marker but I feel I can go beyond that. I’d be proud of it, but it wouldn’t be me finished.”

Ford’s long-time England team-mate, Farrell, took that French plunge this season, but is rumoured to want to return. Ford’s thoughts?

“I have seen him a few times, he’s been to England games. Obviously we got on unbelievably well when we were playing together, anyway. It was just to catch up, and not necessarily all about rugby – family, he knew we had a little one and stuff like that.

“I think any league that Owen Farrell is playing in can only benefit. What he’s done for the game in England, and for England, is unbelievable. So to have him back would be great.

“[The Premiership] has been great this year – how competitive the league is now, anyone can beat anyone. The way the game is being played, and the skill and some of the attacking stuff, has been great. And I really feel like the English national team is on the up as well.”

Sale head coach Alex Sanderson always praises Ford for his quietly huge influence on the Sharks’ mood and performance.

Ford says he wants a few more years of playing, but he would “love to” become a coach, just like his dad Mike and two brothers Joe and Jacob.

“You can’t go to a family event without talking, dissecting a game – my mum hates it,” Ford says, smiling again.

“[When injured or not picked] I’ve loved trying to make the team tick without being there on the pitch myself, or helping an individual out.

“I’m not saying I know it all, because I’m far from knowing it all, but if you can help someone in a little way, there’s great satisfaction.”

Ford adds that his 15-month-old daughter Alarnia has “brought a bit of balance to proceedings” in a Ford family otherwise bouncing with boys.

His wife Atdhetare, or Addy for short, was born in Kosovo and she came to England as a refugee aged four.

“I went over there for the first time, last summer,” Ford says.

“Loved it. Their family home is a massive farm, basically – middle of the field, no phone signal, best thing ever. I was even doing a bit of farming. I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing’.”

And still he popped in on the local rugby team. “It was like a field in the middle of nowhere, but they are trying. And the passion they had for the game…”

And that’s all you need to know. Passion for rugby, win or lose – that’s George Ford.