Alex Sanderson: George Ford wants to be a player, not a coach
George Ford returns to training next week but it has come too late for him to be included in England‘s Autumn Nations Series 36-man squad.
The Curry twins, Ben and Tom, have been included, as has Sharks team-mate, winger Tom Roebuck, but Ford has missed out having been sidelined since he tore his quad against Saracens at the end of September.
Given the club’s policy of not playing a player without a full week of training behind him, the earliest Ford will be considered for selection by Sale is the trip to his former club Bath on October 26.
Ford has been making himself useful as a supplementary coach, leaving DoR Alex Sanderson in no doubt about where his future lays.
“I have had to promise him I will not do a ‘Richard Wigglesworth’ on him, retire him early and stick him in the coaching team because he is good enough and he is going to be a great coach,” Sanderson said.
“I have been asking him to review and preview the games so while the other players concentrate on the game he has been watching games for the opposition the week after, coming up with a one-pager which is absolutely spot on.
“It is aligned with the five other coaches who do the work so we can watch all the areas. We amalgamate all that knowledge and getting in that summary for George and how it aligns with the player point of view.
“It is really rewarding to know that we are aligned, seeing the same thing in terms of strategy, tactics and mentality. It has been a good experience and I have enjoyed it.
“He wants to get back playing and he is very close now. He wants to be a player, not a coach but with him not playing he has wanted to contribute.”
Sanderson heralded Tom Curry‘s performance against Newcastle last Friday as the back rower’s big breakthrough moment.
Curry underwent a six-hour operation on his hip this year after experiencing pain throughout last year’s World Cup and even had to learn to run again during his gruelling rehabilitation.
The 26-year-old defied predictions to make it back in time for Sale’s semi-final defeat to Bath and made three appearances off the bench on England’s summer tour.
Curry started this season in the 12-11 win over Harlequins but was stood down after suffering a concussion, only reappearing again against Newcastle in round four.
He made 18 tackles in the 57 minutes he was on the pitch and it was like the 53-cap England player had never been away.
“That was probably the biggest positive from the win over Newcastle,” Sanderson said. “He was energetic, youthful, enthusiastic, as was Ben. Talking to Tom after the game he said he felt 18 again.
“He has to get his head in the right spot but we have been working on freeing him up over the last few weeks. He seems in a really good state of mind and he has been buzzing around all week again.”
