Who is George Ford? Ten things you should know about the fly-half

Sarah Rendell

From his sporting family to his record-breaking debut

Who is George Ford? Ten things you should know about the fly-half

George Ford has been one of the best performing fly-halves in England for more than a decade, with his varied kicking game, passing skills and vision.

Ten things you should know about George Ford

1. George Ford was born on 16 March 1993 in Oldham, England. He stands at 5ft 9in (1.75m) and weights 13st 10lb (87kg).

2. Ford has played for Leicester Tigers, who he made his Premiership debut for in 2009, and Bath.

3. In 2021 Ford announced he would be leaving Tigers to join Sale Sharks for the 2022-23 season on a three-year deal.

4. He made his debut for England in 2014 against Wales and won Six Nations titles in 2016, 2017 and 2020. He also played in both the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.

5. Ford started his career in rugby league, playing in the academies for Wigan Warriors and Bradford Bulls.

6. His dad, Mike, was a rugby league legend and also coached him at Bath while his older brother, Joe, was a professional rugby player who played for Leicester, Northampton and Yorkshire Carnegie.

7. He was nominated for BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2009 and in 2011 he became the first Englishman to win World Rugby Junior Player of the Year.

8. Ford became the youngest player to make his professional debut in England at 16 years and 237 days, for Leicester in 2009. He broke the record set by his childhood friend and later England team-mate Owen Farrell.

9. When he wasn’t selected by England in 2021, Ford said he was “disappointed”.

He told The Mirror: “I feel in a great place. For any England camp, you want to be involved so I was obviously disappointed, but I’m loving my rugby at Leicester. I’ve had a good, consistent run of games and I’m part of a team that’s going okay, so I’m really enjoying it.”

10. Harlequins’ Nick Evans is the only player to reach 1,500 Premiership points faster than Ford.

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