Andrew Sheridan, the England prop who left the World Cup early with torn shoulder ligaments, has turned down the chance of an insurance payout and will continue playing.
The 31-year-old, whose career has been blighted by injury and who is recovering from a fourth shoulder operation in less than two years, intends to get fit and continue playing for Sale. "Obviously the insurance is pretty good but that's not what I'm about," he said.
Sheridan, who recently turned down a move to Toulon, admitted that retirement had crossed his mind. "But once I got back to Manchester and saw my surgeon he was very confident that there was no reason why I couldn't get back and carry on playing rugby.
"Mentally, I'm pretty positive but I'm also realistic. I am getting a little bit older but I'm certainly going to give it everything to come back. The recovery after such an operation is anything between three and six months but it would be nice for it to be about four months."
Sheridan, who has spoken to Steve Diamond, his new coach at Sale, about carrying on added: "It's not really about the money. As a player you just want to be out there playing. Once you've stopped playing, it is over. I haven't played as much as I would have liked to in the past two years."
Leicester on Tuesday scotched suggestions that Sheridan's partner in the England front row, Dan Cole, is about to leave the club. Cole is out of contract at the end of the season but Richard Cockerill, the director of rugby, said negotiations were well under way and he was confident of keeping the tighthead prop, who may return to league action at Sale on Friday.
Cockerill has to decide between Cole and Martin Castrogiovanni, the Italian prop, who has recovered from the hamstring injury suffered in New Zealand, but the England scrum-half Ben Youngs will not be available.
Youngs returned to Leicester with further damage to the left knee that he injured training with England in June and Cockerill is less than impressed with the way his player had been handled. "I'll be careful what I say," said Cockerill, "but his knee hasn't been rehabbed as thoroughly as we would have done. We do spend a lot of time looking after our players."
Another less than impressed by the performance of his team's managers at the World Cup is the Samoa captain, Mahonri Schwalger, who has delivered a damning report claiming – coaches excepted – that they behaved as though on a "massive holiday".
"We as the team feel that our preparation was tainted by not having people in vital positions committed to their duties and responsibilities before every game," said Schwalger who alleged heavy drinking and absences of up to two or three days at a time.
