WRW: GOODBYE GEORGE FORD

For many Tigers fans, it is simply bewildering.

Why?

Why would he want to go?

Only George Ford will know why he is leaving a team top of the Premiership, with nine wins across all competition, a year before the end of his contract.

But WHY??

MONEY…BUT ALSO NOT ABOUT MONEY

It’s difficult to avoid the prospect that the seeds of this decision were born in the negotiations around the 25% wage cuts which caused so many column inches to be written and much off-the-record grumbling recorded by people like me. I’ve said as much in this column for the better part of 12 months.

Leicester’s players were incandescent at the prospect of taking a cut last season when they felt they - and the 30 or so employees who were made redundant - were one of the few taking an actual financial hit.

Ford was very much part of the bulk of players who initially rejected the demand to cut wages but to the surprise of some, he signed up reluctantly at a late stage.

If money has a part to play in this role, it’s here rather than in the value of contracts being bandied around right now.

I understand Leicester were offering considerably more than Sale, partly because they can keep Ford as an excluded or marquee player. There are sometimes other reasons at play, including rugby reasons.

Sale made great play of the long-term deal Ford has signed. And they may have a point. Leicester have invested very heavily in Steve Borthwick but few doubt there will be offers from the international game for him in 2023. Alex Sanderson on the other hand, has never coached in international rugby before and while Sale have had a sticky start to this season, they have the resources to continue to build a competitive squad in the Premiership.

So, if it wasn’t down to money, what else would make Ford move on?

THE FAMILY WAY

As we know, George is very close to his father Mike and especially to

. so to see him tempted to move on from a club who ushered Ford Senior through the door, has precedent. Just as the pair left Bath, so too could they depart Welford Road.

The family ties don’t just bind father and son. Brother Joe and George run a coffee shop in their hometown of Saddleworth on the eastern side of Manchester. I understand also that George has had a large house built there recently.

We also have to face facts too. While they have not had the best of starts this season, Sale are now a viable option to compete at the latter stages.

Ford would be a distinct improvement on both the mechanical Bristol-bound AJ McGinty and the unconvincing Rob Du Preez. Young fly-halves in Curtis and Wilkinson who both featured at Welford Road on Saturday will be the back up.

With all that in place, you can see how Sale would represent an interesting option for what is likely to be Ford's last contract in this country.

For all the hurt at losing someone so talented, who came up in the Leicester Academy, this has been coming. The question now is who next?

WHO NEXT?

This transfer will not be a surprise to those inside Leicester, who must have anticipated it in their recruitment during the last 2 summers. As soon as Mike Ford was shown the door, you imagine they have been looking at alternatives.

Certainly, a number of players who can start at 10 have been signed in recent months - all of them retrograde when compared to Ford, though to a later or greater extent.
Tigers could afford any fly-half in South Africa or Australia, not those snapped up to go to Japan or France. Nicolas Sanchez is apparently out of favour with both Argentina and Stade Francais, with him only on the Pumas bench last Saturday.

Handre Pollard of Montpellier has been strongly linked but he is on obscene money in the South of France, while not necessarily delivering the goods.

But the number of players who could live with Ford’s level and who would be available, is vanishingly small. Perhaps Leicester may need to make do until the World Cup and plan their raids on the Southern Hemisphere in 2023.

A 4th top-class lock may be more in their interests and given their injuries in the back row, maybe another 6 or 8 as well.

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A brief WRW because of event this week. I am though aware that there has been little content the last few weeks. I hope to change that in the near future. Until then, see you all very soon.

Chris