Dominic Barrow has ended his two-year retirement and joined Sale

Sale have announced the permanent signing of Dominic Barrow, the ex-Leicester, Newcastle and England U20s lock. The 28-year-old, who was part of the England age-grade team that won the IRB Junior World Championship in 2013, joined Sharks initially on trial after two years without a club.

Barrow had retired from rugby in 2020 to run a firm specialising in installing electric vehicle charging points but after impressing Sharks coaches in training, the Sheffield-born forward has now joined Alex Sanderson’s squad immediately on a permanent deal.

The second row said: "I have gained a far greater sense of perspective since spending a bit of time away from rugby. However, I have a burning desire to get back into the sport as I feel I have unfinished business. I believe I’m capable of international honours but I haven’t yet reached my potential.

"I was really impressed with Alex and his vision for Sale Sharks right from our first conversation. From my experience, this is a club on the up that is clearly going places and it is a hugely exciting place to be. I’m thrilled to be in this environment, which I believe will get the very best out of me and help me reach my goals.”

Sale boss Sanderson added: “I’m really excited to welcome Dominic to the club. He is someone I have known about for a number of years and I know exactly how good he can be. He has performed at the very top level for a number of years and that experience can only benefit our squad at a really important time of the season.

“Dominic has been with us on trial for a number of weeks and he has fitted in so well. He has already become a leader in the group and I can’t wait to see what else we can achieve together.”

A sporting all-rounder in his youth, Barrow spent time in the Manchester United academy as a youngster but made the switch to rugby as a teenager, joining Yorkshire Carnegie’s academy. He captained England U16 and U18 teams before joining Newcastle in 2013. After a two-year stint in the northeast, he joined Leicester and went on to make more than 50 appearances at Welford Road.

He next joined Northampton ahead of the 2018/19 season but injuries restricted his appearances and he left the club in March 2019. The following year he announced he was retiring from professional rugby to join Pure-EV, saying he had given everything he could to the sport and was passionate about his new business venture.