George Ford is relishing the ‘do-or-die’ nature of the Gallagher Premiership Rugby run-in as his Sale Sharks side look to

Sale Sharks have a mammoth task on their hands this week, with a double bill fixture with Bath in the Aviva Premiership.

As England head coach Eddie Jones prepares to make his first team announcement for the upcoming Six Nations, speculation among fans, coaches and the media concerning player selection is as high as it has ever been.

Despite Sale Sharks recently being crowned Kings of the North, as well as George Ford and Owen Farrell both hailing from these parts, there is a tangible difference between rugby in the North West and the rest of the country.

English Rugby World Cup organisers’ worst nightmare has come true: the Red Rose are the first host nation to leave its own tournament in the group stages.

Oldham’s George Ford has held off Owen Farrell to start at 10 for England in tonight’s World Cup opener against Fiji, but this is far from the first time the two have competed head-to-head.

Sam Burgess insists club allegiances have been put to one side as England go in search of World Cup success on home soil when they start the tournament against Fiji on Friday.

Danny Cipriani can be the game-breaker at fly-half for England this World Cup according to former Sale Sharks team-mate and ex-Red Rose winger Mark Cueto.

The George Ford or Owen Farrell discussion is likely to dominate English rugby for many years to come but England’s current incumbent of the fly-half jersey downplayed the importance of their latest head-to-head battle in the Aviva Premiership final.