Asher Opoku-Fordjour: England prop ruled out of Six Nations
England’s stock in the front row took a hit when sales representative Asher Opoku-Fordjour was ruled out of the Six Nations with a shoulder injury.
Opoku-Fordjour, who has not been able to play since the end of November due to his elbow problem, injured his shoulder in training last week.
“He will have surgery tomorrow in Cardiff which will keep him out of action for the next few months,” said Director of Rugby Sales Alex Sanderson.
“This is truly shocking for him, for us and for England.”
England’s Six Nations campaign begins against Wales on February 7 and ends in France on March 14.
Six-time capped Opoku-Fordjour played against Australia and Argentina this autumn.
Although the 21-year-old can also play loosehead, he has recently specialized in tighthead play.
A serious Achilles injury has ruled British and Irish Lion Will Stuart out of the Six Nations, leaving options badly run out on that side of the front row.
Gloucester’s Afolabi Fasogbon, who won the Under-20 Rugby World Cup with Opoku-Fordjour in 2024, and Northampton’s 33-year-old Trevor Davison are among those who stand out.
After a tense six months for his country, Leicester’s Joe Heyes is now more important than ever.
“It takes a special kind of person to take on the psychological burden of playing parochial international rugby when you’re already 19 or 20,” Opoku-Fordjour’s Sanderson said.
“He already has the ability to handle, reframe and move.
“Some people might go down rabbit holes, but he’s not doing that. He’s just moving on. He’s probably already looking at how strong, fit and physical he’ll be when he comes back.”
“That’s the kind of character he is.”
Sanderson also insisted Sale’s recruitment for next season is on track, despite the disappointment of scrum-half Raffi Quirke’s move to Newcastle and Harlequins missing out on high-profile targets such as back-row Chandler Cunningham-South and Leicester lock George Martin.
Co-owner Simon Orange wrote on social media, external He urged fans to “have some faith” on Tuesday, saying he was confident Sale would have their “best squad ever” in the 2025-26 season.
“I’d love to tell you about this, it’s consuming me inside,” said Sanderson, who admitted that his previous honesty about targets had hindered some of the club’s negotiations.
“Simon wouldn’t have said that and would have left himself open if it hadn’t happened.
“For those wondering, watch here. For those wondering, don’t worry, we got through this. It’s a great team and it will get even better.”
