RFU Championship

Sale's Dwayne Peel set for Championship switch

ESPN Staff

Peel's departure is a blow for Sale © Getty Images Enlarge

Former Wales and British & Irish Lions scrum-half Dwayne Peel is set to bring the curtain down on his six-year tenure at Sale this summer after confirming a switch to Championship outfit Bristol.

In a move which may surprise Premiership fans given Peel's form this season, and the formidable partnership he has formed with fly-half Danny Cipriani, the 32-year-old has opted for a drop down to the second tier of English rugby next season. The Manchester Evening News is reporting Peel has accepted a lucrative package which was 'too good to refuse' by the West Country club, now under the guide of former England boss Andy Robinson, which also includes a deal to bring the scrum-half onto the coaching set up at the Memorial Ground.

A further sweetener for Peel is that the move to Bristol allows him to return home to Wales and be based near Llanelli, where he co-owns a restaurant with former Wales fly-half Stephen Jones, along with wife Jessica and their two small children. Peel won 76 caps for Wales in an international career which spanned a decade, during which time he was an integral part of the 2005 Grand Slam winning squad, and also earned three caps on the Lions tour to New Zealand that same year.

The deal is a blow to Sale boss Steve Diamond, who had been keen to tie Peel down to an extension given his form this season, and the fact he is one of the most popular and respected figures in the dressing room. Though the club are yet to comment officially on the move, Diamond has confirmed they will be in the market for a new scrum-half to fill the void left by Peel's departure.

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