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- 20th January 2022

Sale Sharks sign Joe Marchant in positive boost for England rugby

Danny Jones

An impending rugby union returnee is simultaneously set to bring a positive boost to Steve Borthwick, too, as Joe Marchant has officially signed for Sale Sharks.

Not only will be a welcome restoration to the Gallagher Premiership but England as well, with Marchant’s domestic comeback once again making him available for international fixtures.

You could say it’s all smelling Red Roses.

The former Harlequins centre has been playing in the French top 14 since after the 2023 Rugby World Cup (RWC), making over a half century of appearances for third-placed Stade Francais, but now he’s on his way back across the Channel on a deal until 2029.

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A post shared by Sale Sharks (@salesharks)

Set to officially move to Greater Manchester and join Sale Sharks for the start of next season, Marchant – who made over 150 appearances for the Quins and shone as one of the stars in their 2021 Prem final win over Exeter – Marchant clearly wanted to put himself in contention for the 2027 RWC.

Nevertheless, there were numerous sides who emerged as suitors in the pursuit of the 29-year-old, but it was the Sharks who have ultimately won the race for his signature.

Addressing the supporters in an official club statement, Joe said: “When I spoke to [head coach] Alex Sanderson he explained the direction he wants to take the club and the ambition he has. It’s a club that wants to win trophies and I’d love to be a part of that.

“Sale have always been a tough team to play against, so I’m really looking forward being a part of that next season. There are a lot of lads at the club who I’ve played and trained with for England and it’ll be great to play with them again.

“They have some of the best players in the country and I can’t wait to play with them. I’d love to get back in the mix for England but I know that first I have to get back into the flow of the Prem and put in some good performances for Sale.”

The Winchester-born outside-centric midfielder, who is often deployed as a winger, represented his country at the last tournament and has 26 caps to his name, but his move to Europe meant that he was ineligible for selection until now.

Now clearly aiming to increase that tally as he approaches the end of his so-called ‘prime years’, he’ll prove to be a great bit of added strength in depth as Borthwick continues to oversee a great era for talent in the national pool. England fans can hopefully look forward to more impressive drives like this:

12 TRIES OF XMAS | JOE MARCHANT
Flashback to the #WorldRugbyU20s Final and this scorching effort from @JoeMarchant96 🔥 pic.twitter.com/19bnl8BfsB
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) December 17, 2016

Sanderson went on to add: “Joe is a world class player. He’s got aspirations to play in the next World Cup and to do that he needs to play for a team that’s competing for the Prem. He believes that’s us.

“He’s got X-Factor on both sides of the ball and in the air. He’s got real gas and if we find him in that outside channels he’ll make something happen. But his ability to read the game defensively is just as impressive.

“He’s excited about playing outside George Ford. He’s some player and we can’t wait to get him here.”

Meanwhile, over in rugby league, the full list of fixtures and dates for the highly anticipated 2026 ‘Rivals Round’ have now been revealed.

Super League ‘Rivals Round’ fixtures confirmed, with two big North West clashes

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Featured Images — Allianz UK (screenshot via YouTube)

Manchester’s firework displays are ‘back with a bang’ as they return from 2026

Emily Sergeant

Spectacular New Year's Eve firework display confirmed for Manchester

Council-organised firework displays in Manchester’s parks are set to return from next year, it has been confirmed.

You may remember that these once-popular events have not been held since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic initially prevented them from taking place from 2020 onwards, and then following that, they remained paused on a trial basis while the Manchester City Council sought to ‘reprioritise funding’ to support a wider range of free community events across the city.

But now, as it seems, the door was never shut on their potential return.

An ‘improved financial position’ now means that the Council is in a position to bring firework events back, while also still continuing to support other community events.

Back with a bang!

🎆 Council-organised firework displays are set to return from next year, find out more at https://t.co/Klj6mDvsrP pic.twitter.com/pDTBoCxTzW
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) November 26, 2025

Papers setting out the Council’s financial position show that fairer funding being introduced by the Government next year will leave the Council better off than previously anticipated, he the reason firework displays have been brought back into the mix.

The Council has admitted that ‘pressures remain’ after so many years of financial cuts, but this new funding creates the opportunity to invest in the things residents have said matter the most to them.

“Manchester prides itself on free community events and we know many people have missed Bonfire night firework spectaculars,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.

“That’s why we are pleased to confirm they’ll be back by popular demand in 2026.

“We know that generations of Mancunians have enjoyed Council-organised displays and that free family events are a great way to bring people together… [and] now that this Government is actually investing in Councils like ours rather than the cuts we had since 2010, we can bring back Bonfire events.”

Cllr Craig said that the return of Council-organised firework displays is ‘building up for a spectacular 2026.’

More information on their return is set to be announced in due course.

Featured Image – Chris Curry (via Unsplash)