Sale sign 'under-appreciated' Tom Ellis with immediate effect

Title-chasing Sale have signed Tom Ellis with immediate effect. The Bath forward had been on loan at Saracens, but he has now moved to Manchester ahead of the Sharks' end-of-season bid to clinch their first Gallagher Premiership title since 2006.

A statement read: “Sale have signed versatile forward Tom Ellis from Bath on a deal until the end of the 2023/24 Premiership season. Tom, who has been on loan at Saracens and featured for 80 minutes against Sharks in the Premiership in March, will join Alex Sanderson’s squad immediately as they gear up for the run-in to the end of the season.

“The powerful 28-year-old came through the academy at Bath and went on to make more than 100 appearances for his boyhood club, including many alongside new Sharks teammate George Ford. He joined Saracens in January to cover the players away on Six Nations duty.”

Ellis said: “I’m really happy to be here. From the outside it’s clear that this is a team and a club that is on the up and the style of play here suits me. I played with George Ford at Bath and got to know some of the other lads in England camps and having some familiar faces around will really help me settle in.

“My last game was for Saracens at the AJ Bell and I got a taste of what an amazing atmosphere the fans create in the stadium. I also saw first-hand how good this team is and I can’t wait to run out with the lads. With the quality we have got here we can achieve something special.”

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson added: “Tom is a big, skilful back five player with the versatility to switch between the back row and the second row. He has possibly been underrated and under-appreciated in his career. The coaches at Saracens would have liked to have kept him because they could see his talent and his enthusiasm and intent to get better.

“This opportunity has come up through Cobus Wiese’s injury and sometimes that is how these things work. It has opened up the door for Tom to come here, into an environment where we think he can thrive. But it’s not a short-term fix for us. He wants to make the north his home now, and we feel like he is a really viable first choice option in an area where we’re very strong.”

It was 2014, against Glasgow in the Heineken Champions Cup, when Ellis made his Bath debut having featured earlier in the year for England U20s. He went on loan to Bristol and Yorkshire Carnegie before establishing himself fully at Bath and he made bis 100th appearance for the club in May 2021.

In a separate Bath statement, Ellis said: “I want to take this opportunity to thank all those that have had an influence on my time at Bath over the past 13 years. To have played just one game for the 1st XV of this historic club was my childhood dream. From pulling the shirt on for the academy at age 15, to playing my 100th game for the club in 2021, I could not have dreamt of more.”