Ford f lies back to Tigers roots
Itoje ends up in the gutter
GEORGE FORD is heading back to where it all started for him professionally after one of rugby’s worst kept secrets was confirmed yesterday.
The England fly-half is moving from Bath to Leicester – where he spent four years until 2013 – with Freddie Burns moving in the opposite direction for the start of next season.
The switch will make Ford, 23, one of the highest paid players in the Premiership with his package worth around £450,000 a year and could be the kick-start that misfiring Leicester need next campaign.
Tigers head coach Aaron Mauger said: “He is a player we obviously know well from his time here in the academy and as a young man making the breakthrough into senior rugby.
“He has become one of the leading players in his position in Europe and is still a young man with a lot of rugby ahead of him. We look forward to his return to Welford Road in the summer. While delighted to be able to bring in George, we are disappointed to lose Freddie, who has been an outstanding player for us in the last three years.”
Burns is also going back to where he started – he was at the Bath academy before moving to Gloucester and then Welford Road.
The move brings to an end one of the most protracted transfer sagas in the sport.
Ford – upset that his father Mike had been sacked as Bath director of rugby last season – had hoped to leave the club earlier and return to the club where he emerged as a 16-year-old.
His ambitions were stymied by Bath owner Bruce Craig and Ford did not become available until he activated a release clause in his contract – which runs until 2018.
Apart from Ford’s massive wages, Leicester have also had to shell out a transfer fee although that financial hit was softened when they let GORDON ELLIOTT is confident about Don Poli’s prospects in the Randox Health Grand National after last night’s announcement of the weights at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Don Poli, 14-1 favourite with Paddy Power, is set to carry 11st 7lb in the world’s most demanding steeple chase at Aintree on April 8.
“The race looks made for him,” said his trainer Elliott, right. “I was expecting that sort of weight. I was delighted with his run at Leopardstown Burns go to the Rec. Bath managing director Tarquin McDonald said: “We are, of course, sorry to lose George and wish him well, but we have been in discussions about his future for some time.
“The agreement with Leicester suits all sides, with Bath securing not just appropriate compensation, but most importantly an excellent new player.” Sale, Gloucester and Northampton all showed an interest in Ford but Leicester got their man, meaning he will link up with his England halfback partner Ben Youngs at club level. Ford said: “It has not been an easy decision for me but I feel it is time to move on.”
Ford has won 32 caps and has been Eddie Jones’ first-choice fly-half since he took charge of England – barring one Test in Australia last summer.
Burns, 26, has won five caps, the last in New Zealand in 2014, but has not featured on Sunday in the Irish Gold Cup, when he was third.
“He could have done with a stronger gallop. But he’s come out of the race in great nick.”
Elliott took over the training of Don Poli this season after Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary decided to move his horses from Willie Mullins.
The eight-year-old showed that he is a class act with a cracking display in last year’s under Jones and is down the fly-half pecking order, meaning Bath should have his services for the whole season where he will be fighting for a place with Welshman Rhys Priestland.
Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder said: “He is a fantastic player, who has really developed into an all-encompassing fly-half in the last couple of years and I’m looking forward to seeing that fit into our game here.
“We’ve now got two international fly-halves signed for next season in Freddie and Rhys and I have no doubt that both will play a key role for us going forward.”
IRELAND No 8 Jamie Heaslip, who has won 93 caps, has signed a new contract with the IRFU tying him up until after the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Heaslip, 33, made his debut in 2006 and has been on the past two British & Irish Lions tours. Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he was third behind Don Cossack. He had earlier beaten the 2015 Grand National winner Many Clouds at Aintree.
Elliott has a staggering 14 entries in the race and is 6-1 to take the prize with Hills.
“I will run as many as I can,” he said. “Of course the prize money is very good and it’s a race we’ve won in the past [Silver Birch in 2007] and I would love to win it again. “Ucello Conti (10st 7lb) and Cause Of Causes (10st 8lb) are on good marks,” said Elliott. “The Outlander [top weight at 11st 10lb] is probably my Gold Cup horse. I should think I will run at least six. At the moment Don Poli is my best chance.” The Last Samuri, runner-up to Rule The World last year, EDDIE JONES is king of the mind games – but now the England boss is playing them on his own team.
The squad, who are staying in a Kensington hotel this week, were due to train at a local school yesterday morning but Jones hoodwinked them by taking them tenpin bowling instead in Bayswater.
Owen Farrell was the star of the show in the alley but Jones might have found something Maro Itoje cannot do.
Defence coach Paul Gustard said: “The boys thought we were going to do some forwards and backs units. They had aqua recovery at 8am and they were dressed in their rugby kit when they got on the coach to go to the school. We turned up at a bowling alley and there was chicken and bits and pieces like that on offer and coffees.
“Unsurprisingly, Owen was pretty good – quite competitive. It wasn’t who was good, it was who was really bad – and that was Maro. He was embarrassingly bad, he needed rails.”
Gustard also confirmed that Mako Vunipola is set to play for Saracens at Gloucester on Friday night. The prop has been out since December with a knee injury. has received a hefty hike in the weights from the handicapper Phil Smith.
The Kim Bailey-trained nine-year-old has 11lb more to carry this time.
But Vieux Lion Rouge looks to be on a favourable mark. The David Pipe-trained gelding showed his liking for Aintree when winning the Becher Chase in December.
On that occasion, he forced The Last Samuri back into third place. He looks the best each-way value at 25-1.