George scoops world honour

Photo: Picture by Stu Forster, courtesy Getty Images.

George Ford.

RUGBY:

FORMER Oldham St Anne’s, Saddleworth Rangers and Waterhead junior star George Ford is the International Rugby Board young player of the year for 2011.

Voted for by a team of head coaches and match officials, as well as international and local media, the England under-20s and Leicester Tigers fly-half is the first Englishman to claim the award after beating New Zealand duo Sam Cane and Luke Whitelock to the coveted prize.

At just 18-years-old, Ford was the youngest player at the Junior World Championship in Italy in June and the young Tiger breaks a spell of five years without a northern hemisphere winner — Frenchman Lionel Beauxis was the last in 2006, while Welsh back Gavin Henson remains the only other Briton to have won the prize, back in 2001.

Ford, son of former Oldham RL player-coach Mike, said: “It’s a massive honour especially when you consider the calibre of player who have won it in the past as well as the others (Cane and Whitelock) nominated. I couldn’t believe it when I found out to be honest, but I’ve got to be quick to point out that rugby is not an individual sport.”

In a season that resulted in nine wins and just the one reverse, Ford scored 76 points in England’s RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam triumph and another 54 in the IRB Junior World Championship, but he says that completing the Slam in Ireland’s back yard is the memory he’ll treasure most.

He kicked four conversions and two penalties in the Slam-winning 46-15 win over Ireland.

Ford said: “To remain unbeaten against the calibre of sides we played against took some doing, but we performed well each time we took to the field.

“Getting to the final of the Junior World Championship was also a great achievement, and it’s just a shame that we fell short against a strong New Zealand side.”

Previous winners of the award include the likes of Luke McAlister — the son of former Oldham player Charlie McAlister — Isaia Toeava, Jerome Kaino and Tatafu Polota-Nau, so while Ford is in good company, the Oldham-born No. 10 insists that he’s just concentrating on his own blossoming career for now.