'A top player': Prop McIntyre rejoins Sale 10 years after leaving

Simon McIntyre has sorted out his future, agreeing to a one-year deal at Sale, the club where he made his professional level breakthrough before deciding to join Wasps ten years ago. He becomes the second player from Lee Blackett's side to re-join for the 2021/22 season after fellow Sharks academy graduate Tommy Taylor agreed on terms earlier this year to head back to Manchester. 

It was June 10, prior to their last game of the 2020/21 campaign, that Wasps confirmed McIntyre was surplus to requirement and the 30-year-old has now pitched up at Sale seven weeks later to help shore up the gap left by the departures of front-rowers Will-Griff John, Valery Morozov and Jake Cooper-Woolley.  

The Manchester-born McIntyre played junior rugby at Broughton Park before entering the Sale academy in 2009 and he went on to make six first-team appearances and represent England U18s before switching to Wasps in 2011 where he made nearly 150 appearances and scored five tries but missed the 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership final due to contact tracing protocols.

“It’s an exciting time for me, especially to be returning to my hometown club," enthused McIntyre on the Sale club website. “When I decided to re-sign for Sale, I knew it would be a challenge with the quality of the players in the squad here, but it’s a challenge I am relishing and I’m hungry to get stuck in with the boys.

“Speaking with Alex (Sanderson), his plans for the future of the club were genuinely compelling and I can’t wait to test myself in such a high-performance environment.”

Sale boss Sanderson added: “We are delighted to be able to give Simon a chance to come home and play again for his local team. It’s another northern voice in the dressing room but more importantly, he is a top player. Since he left Sharks he has developed into one of the Premiership’s best props. 

"He is mobile, he is powerful, he is quick and he is solid in the scrum so he will be a brilliant addition to the squad.” McIntyre joined the Sale training squad this week for the start of their pre-season camp.