đŸ”— Share this article England's fly-half Ford opts to remain with Sale Sharks over new league offer The player achieved his century of appearances for England against the South American side in recent months The experienced fly-half has confirmed that he rejected an approach from the new rugby venture to extend his England journey The 32-year-old athlete has signed a fresh three-year deal with Sale Sharks, where he has played 44 games and accumulated 341 points since joining in recent years National Team Dedication England had earlier confirmed that any players who join the new league, like other stars based overseas, would be not available for international duty "They contacted my representative to have talks, but my choice regarding it was entirely based on the fact that I've got unbelievable desire to play for England," commented Ford "I've loved my period at the club as well and it didn't progress any further than that in terms of negotiations with the proposed competition" "I'm passionate about and I'm passionate about representing England. I want to have the opportunity to play for my country still. I feel I've continue to have a lot to give in a white shirt" Competition Development The organization's goal of creating eight elite squads for a series of events in prominent locations was affected by a coordinated ban from leading unions recently The English union, the All Blacks, Ireland and France were joined by Scotland, the Wallabies, South Africa and Italy in declaring they would exclude any R360 recruits for Test rugby Financial Aspects Director of rugby Alex Sanderson calculated that, for top athletes such as the fly-half, a transfer to the new competition could provide a third more than remaining in the domestic league He noted that transfers to Japan could be a opportunity to significantly increase earnings, while tax breaks for athletes add to the economic benefit of French teams The player has scored 30 points in multiple league matches in the current season Club Significance "It's crucial for this club, essential for the team moving forwards, that we retain him at the leadership position," stated Sanderson "It means more than just how brilliant he is on the field" "It is his background, where he wants to lead the team and how well driven he is" "He's a motivational force for me as a coach, not just the teammates that he shares the field with" "This represents a significant, major demonstration of commitment from him for the direction the club's going" Competition Situation Ford acknowledged the current talent pool of number tens is exceptional during his career with England, with former skipper Owen Farrell back at his club and in consideration for a selection once more "It's brilliant, isn't it? It's the ideal situation to be truly in terms of squad depth. I'd imagine the head coach is quite happy having multiple choices like that," commented the player "Selection is so dependent on opinion. That's sort of a little bit beyond my influence currently, because my primary concern at the moment is playing as effectively as I can for Sale" "Should I concern myself excessively about if I'm going to get picked, I'm not going to get picked. It takes me away from my job in the here and now" Manager's Viewpoint Sanderson though was definite in his backing for his player "There's only one the fly-half," he said "Perhaps you could secure a match by 10 or 15 more points with a different fly-half. I believe you'll definitely lose less games with him because he virtually ensures success with what he does with the ball that the outcome is going to go your way"