Sale confirm Manu Tuilagi's departure at end of season

Sale Sharks have announced that England international Manu Tuilagi will be leaving the Gallagher Premiership club at the end of the ongoing season.

As reported earlier, Tuilagi's move to France will make him ineligible to represent England due to the Rugby Football Union's policy of not selecting players plying their trade overseas.

The 32-year-old made his Sale Sharks debut in 2020 and has made 40 appearances for the club. He was part of the the squad that reached the Premiership final in the 2022/23 season.

He made his England debut in a warm-up game against Wales leading to the 2011 Rugby World Cup and made his 60th appearance for the side in the recently concluded Six Nations game against France last weekend.

“I’ve absolutely loved my time at Sale. It was a really tough conversation with Al, and a tough decision for everyone because my family and I have been really happy here.

“I never thought I’d leave Leicester and it was a big move, but since arriving here I’ve grown a lot as a person. I’ve developed as a player but more so as a person.

“The environment at Sale is amazing. It’s what makes me want to get out of bed and put the work in, and I genuinely love coming in every day.

“If I’ve helped the young players then that’s great, but they’ve helped me so much too and I’m going to miss them all.

“The mindset from the start of the season was to win the Premiership and that’s what we’re all focused on now. Knowing it’s my last season here will give me an extra push to make sure I leave on a high.”