George Ford has revealed he turned down a lucrative offer from rugby’s breakaway R360 league to prolong his England career.The 32-year-old has signed a new three-year contract with Sale Sharks in the Gallagher Premiership, in a move which will ensure his availability for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. To be selected for the Red Rose, RFU protocols require players to be featuring in the English top-flight.And this has clearly proven the persuasive factor for Ford, who has resisted the temptation of overseas offers, as well as the lure of an all-new big-money start-up.What is R360?Fronted by 2003 World Cup winner Mike Tindall, R360 is a proposed global rugby union competition looking to revolutionise the sport.The global circuit proposes the world’s top male and female players to compete in a franchise-based league, with events taking place in various major cities.These plans were hit with a stumbling block last week, when rugby’s leading nations announced a blanket ban.England, New Zealand, Ireland and France were joined by Scotland, Australia, South Africa and Italy in saying they would not pick any R360 recruits for international matches.‘I love playing for England’With the latest news putting Ford’s 102-cap England career in jeopardy, he quickly moved to show his priorities by pledging his future to Sale in his home country.Discussing his decision on talkSPORT Breakfast, Ford said: “Primarily, I love playing for England. I want the opportunity to play for England. “We understand as players at the minute, to have the opportunity, you’ve got to be playing at an English club. “There’s probably a little bit of uncertainty with the R360 stuff, of whether you can carry on doing that or not.GettyFord is looking to extend his England career, 13 years after making his debut in 2014[/caption]Former England centre Mike Tindall is a leading name behind R360Getty Images - Getty“So for me as a player, playing at Sale Sharks, and playing for England is what I want to do – I’m motivated to do that. “So that’s why I made the decision to carry on my time here at Sale Sharks and hopefully play for England.”Since joining in 2022, Ford has made 44 appearances and scored 341 pointsAnd while the prospect of representing England in a fourth World Cup made for an easy decision, he admitted the financial incentives offered by R360 is sparking conversations among English Premiership players.The fly-half reportedly rejected a deal worth around £1million-per-season to join the rebel league.Ford said: “Look, we’re not going to pretend it’s not there. “It’s been a big talking point as a player. It’s obviously been in the news a lot, been in the media a lot. A lot of players have had discussions with the new league.Ford has previously represented England in a World Cup final in 2019Getty Images - Getty“So, it is spoken about. From a financial point of view, it is significantly different what the numbers of lads have been offered and talking about. “So [it’s] definitely making lads consider what they want to do in the future.”He added; “The amount of money footballers are paid – from a rugby perspective, it’s nowhere near that. “So, it’s about maximising your time in the game. It is a short career.”Competition for placesHaving committed his long-term future to the Sale Sharks, Ford will be looking to prove his worth between now and next summer, with stiff competition for England’s No.10 shirt.Ford joined talkSPORT Breakfast to discuss his recent career decisionAmong his positional rivals are the likes of Fin and Marcus Smith, who were picked ahead of him by Andy Farrell for the British & Irish Lions, as well as Owen Farrell, who has returned to Saracens after a season in France with Racing 92.But Ford insisted that squad depth will be crucial for Steve Borthwick’s England if they are to challenge for just a second-ever World Cup glory.Speaking to Jamie O’Hara and Gabby Agbonlahor, he said: “It’s great in terms of squad depth, competition for places. Ford continued: “You want the best players being part of a team.“And ultimately, if I don’t get selected at weekend to start for England, then I’ve got a job to do in the squad to make sure England win at weekend. “And that’s the sort of togetherness we want to build in the squad. We understand that it’s going to take 31, 32 players to try and go and win competitions and World Cups. “Whether you’re starting, whether you’re on the bench, whether you’re not involved, you’ve got a big, big role to play within that to make England win. And that’s what we all want to do.”