Ford back at 10 after again proving his worth
BAGSHOT, England :Despite amassing 102 caps it seems as if George Ford has spent his entire 11-year career battling to establish himself as England's first-choice flyhalf, but he will wear the number 10 shirt again against Australia on Saturday after impressing coach Steve Borthwick on and off the pitch.
Ford made his debut in 2014 and though he has had long spells as a starter, he was often also usurped by Owen Farrell and then a succession of others.
As recently as 2023, Ford was man of the match in England’s World Cup opening win over Argentina but was again dropped later in the tournament.
Marcus Smith was the golden boy for a while, quickly followed by Fin Smith, but with both men involved with the British and Irish Lions this year Ford took the reins for two tests in Argentina and another in the United States.
He played superbly in all three and continued that form at Sale once the Premiership got underway, as the Smiths had to kick their heels during their post-Lions mandatory rest period.
Despite the preponderance of Northampton players across the back line, Borthwick opted not to start another Saint – Fin Smith – instead putting him on the bench and starting with Ford, who is still only 32.
"I think George started the season playing really well for Sale, did really well over the summer in Argentina from his performance point of view and also his leadership point of view," Borthwick told reporters at the team’s Pennyhill Park training base on Tuesday.
Ford has always been a team-first operator, something Borthwick holds in high regard, and the coach said he highlighted to others Ford’s attitude during the periods when he was being overlooked.
“When I announced the team, I spoke to the players about George Ford, about when there was a series of games where I didn't select him in the 23 and every day I thought he was probably the best trainer in the squad and every day he was there helping the team prepare," Borthwick said. "That's the role model, that's the standard."
Borthwick has continued to juggle his back line as he seeks to take best advantage of a bounty of talent on his hands at the moment, and, with an eye on the World Cup, he puts a premium on versatility.
Accordingly, Tommy Freeman will start at outside centre on the back of three successive appearances on the wing for the British and Irish Lions, albeit in a midfield combination with Fraser Dingwall that worked really well in England’s Six Nations thrashing of Wales this year.
"I see Tommy's ability to play 13, wing and potentially 15 being a huge asset for us,” Borthwick said. “When you look at the World Cup, having players who can play in different positions, particularly in outside backs, that's very, very important."
Borthwick has often talked about the prospect of Saturday’s starting Number Eight Ben Earl playing in the centres – and he has moved there during games previously – and threw in a few more interesting options on Tuesday.
“Robes (wing Tom Roebuck) in the summer covered us at fullback and Cadan Murley was covering us at 13,” he said. “I think there will be a time where I'll consider starting Ben Earl at the centre, especially with all the quality back row forwards we've got, and I’d have no hesitation in having Fin Smith in the centres.
“(Flanker) Guy Pepper has been training in the back line and we've been looking at Henry Pollock on the wing. His pace is a match of a lot of wingers. That kind of versatility is really important to us.
“I'm not saying we're training all those combinations for this Saturday, but these are the things we have.”
England are on a run of seven successive victories and there is a different mood to a year ago when a last-gasp defeat by Australia was one of three autumn international losses.
Borthwick is revelling in the positivity around the team and is desperate to claim wins over Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina to lock in their top-six rankings position to secure a top seeding in December’s draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
