England scrum-half Raffi Quirke has announced that he will be leaving his boyhood club Sale Sharks at the end of the season. This decision comes as a shock, particularly given the close relationship between Quirke and the club. The 24-year-old had won two caps for England and was part of their squad for the autumn internationals last year.
Quirke's move to Newcastle Red Bulls has been made public following months of speculation about his future. Despite enjoying a decent run of form this season, he felt that it was time for him to try a new environment and challenge. His decision has been met with respect from Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson, who said: "He feels like he wants to try a new environment and a new challenge and we respect his decision. He'll leave with our blessing and thanks for everything that he's given to the club while he's been here."
The news comes as part of a significant rebuild at Sale Sharks, which has seen several high-profile players depart in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Quirke will be looking to make an impact in Newcastle Red Bulls' new-look squad, which has recruited heavily since their promotion last season.
Quirke's move to Newcastle Red Bulls has been made public following months of speculation about his future. Despite enjoying a decent run of form this season, he felt that it was time for him to try a new environment and challenge. His decision has been met with respect from Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson, who said: "He feels like he wants to try a new environment and a new challenge and we respect his decision. He'll leave with our blessing and thanks for everything that he's given to the club while he's been here."
The news comes as part of a significant rebuild at Sale Sharks, which has seen several high-profile players depart in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Quirke will be looking to make an impact in Newcastle Red Bulls' new-look squad, which has recruited heavily since their promotion last season.
. Can't we just have a clean and simple redesign already? The font size on mobile is killing me! 
And don't even get me started on the navigation bar - it's like they took every feature from 2015 and just glued them all together. I swear, I've spent more time trying to figure out how to use this thing than actually reading about Raffi Quirke leaving Sale Sharks 
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his decision to move to newcastle red bulls makes sense though, he needs a change of scenery and all that 
alex sanderson seems like a cool guy tho, bless him for understanding quirke's feelings 
sale sharks is gonna be really interesting to watch this season with all the departures 
. Like, they knew something was up and didn't say anything 
. But on the other hand, 2 England caps isn't bad 
! He does need to level up his game if he wants to make an impact in Newcastle Red Bulls 
. Did you see their squad numbers for the new season? 
20+ new signings is a lot of fresh faces 
️. Stats-wise, his average passing accuracy this season was around 85% 
. Not bad! 
. On a serious note tho, Sale Sharks losing him might be a bit of a shock, but you gotta respect the lad's decision to move on and try something new 
. Alex Sanderson is all cool with it too, which is super classy of him 
!
I gotta admit, it's a bit of a shock but at the same time I get why he'd wanna try something new after already playing for England 
. He's only 24 so I'm sure he'll still have some great years ahead of him in the game 
. But Quirke seems like a pro and will probably make an impact at Newcastle Red Bulls with their new squad 
. Guess this is just one of those transitions that happens in sports - time to see what's next! 
It'll be tough for him to settle in with his family and friends. And what about the fans? They're going to miss him so much 
. I hope he makes a good impact in Newcastle, but it's just not right that he's leaving Sale Sharks like this 
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Raffi Quirke leaving Sale Sharks is a huge blow, I mean, he's basically been part of the family there for years and now he's just off to Newcastle Red Bulls like it was no big deal 
. I think it's awesome that he's embracing the challenge and trying something new – who knows what amazing things he'll achieve in Newcastle Red Bulls? 
The key is to stay adaptable and open-minded, just like Quirke seems to be doing 
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and i'm sure sale sharks will bounce back from the loss of quirke 
Quirke won 2 caps 4 England last yr so he's clearly got talent 