Oh Brother, The Fords Roll Back The Years

GEORGE Ford was a boy when he left Leicester in 2013, but he is back at Welford Road as England flyhalf and with his return the odds on a first Tigers Premiership title since that year have been slashed.

- Nick Verdier

Leicester will expect a decent return on their investment having paid Bath a six-figure sum, plus Freddie Burns, to buy the 24-year-old out of the last year of his contract and hand him a salary in the region of £450,000 a season.

To help him in his quest, Ford will have the luxury of marshalling one of the league’s finest backlines, including Ben Youngs, Matt Toomua, Manu Tuilagi, Telusa Veainu and fellow recruit Jonny May.

Proof of Ford’s change in status is his move to the ‘senior’ changing room at the Tigers’ Oadby training ground and he is focusing on a fast start to the season against his old club Bath today.

“I don’t think there’s pressure on me coming back,” he told The Rugby Paper. “It’s just excitement. I’m privileged and honoured to be part of this club. It’s not all about me. It’ll take a team effort to go out there every week and play as well as we can.