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.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Six Nations Review and Sinckler’s Sauna | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 21

We’re joined by England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie this week as the Six Nations squads take a break after two rounds of action. We hear from the Exeter Hooker about his journey with England and the Lions, his relationship with Eddie Jones and of course that volleyball moment in Edinburgh during the Calcutta Cup. Max and Ryan give their thoughts on the weekend battles in Cardiff, Paris and Rome, pick their team of the week and look forward to the rest of the tournament.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Six Nations Review and Sinckler’s Sauna | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 21

We’re joined by England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie this week as the Six Nations squads take a break after two rounds of action. We hear from the Exeter Hooker about his journey with England and the Lions, his relationship with Eddie Jones and of course that volleyball moment in Edinburgh during the Calcutta Cup. Max and Ryan give their thoughts on the weekend battles in Cardiff, Paris and Rome, pick their team of the week and look forward to the rest of the tournament.

“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.