George Ford scores one of his hat-tricks. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
When George Ford stepped back into the pocket and casually swung his right foot to complete his first hat-trick, it was easy to imagine that it was an audacious act of improvisation by the England midfielder.
In fact, it was a scenario that England had been preparing specifically for the match against Argentina, as well as the technical and mental skills that Ford had honed since his teens, ready to shine when given the perfect opportunity. It was a masterclass years in the making, witnessed by Telegraph Sport.
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Hat-trick for @George_Fordy scoring goals. 🤯pic.twitter.com/2mcu6dVZON
— Telegraph Rugby (@TelegraphRugby), September 9, 2023
In 2015 I was invited to attend a private training session between George Ford and his personal kicking coach Dave Alred at Farley House training ground in Bath. What struck me, watching this from the sidelines, was that they spent at least 30 minutes practicing goals with both feet, when at that point Ford had not registered a goal for either club or country for at least a year. I asked Alred, who was also Jonny Wilkinson's kicking coach, why do you spend so much time on a skill he doesn't use?
Alred replied, “It doesn’t matter. This is what we call «green work,» so you work on it now and maybe you'll use it in two years, but if you don't start it now, you'll never use it.»
Alred's words turned out to be very prophetic. Before Saturday night, Ford had only scored two goals in his international career, the last of which came against Argentina in Santa Fe in 2017. Ford then scored three textbook goals from 45 meters within 10 minutes of the first half. , 50 meters and 20 meters, which would bring a big smile to Alred's face.
George Ford under Dave Alred in 2015. Photo: Jay Williams for Telegraph
In all three cases, he maintained a posture throughout the swing, like Adam Scott finishing a golf swing, and used the «J» shape that his foot follows as he swings into an arc. This ensures that the ball will split the posts in half, even if the contact is not the cleanest. Regardless, all three looked perfect as Ford became the first player to score at least three goals in a World Cup match since Namibia's Theuns Kotze against Fiji in 2011.
“Does he have the guts to do it?” ? '
There is a reason why goals have become so rare in the modern game (Lock Maro Itoje called Ford's hat-trick a «throwback to the 1990s»), which is less technical and much more mental. Setting a training goal is a simple action for most professionals; in a test match the pressure is much less. And here Don McPherson, Ford's coach, played a key role.
At the start of last season, Ford asked McPherson to develop a mental visualization exercise to score goals, realizing it was a club gathering dust in his locker. McPherson created an MP3 in which Ford visualized hitting the perfect target over and over again from different distances, angles and situations.
«You can't just do it,» McPherson said. McPherson, author of Mastering Your Monkey Mind. “We need to prepare technically. The monkey must believe that you have skills. So, enter Dave Alred. Will he be able to score a goal? Yes. Will he have the courage to do this? For most people no. The monkey mind will say: you’re crazy, what happens if you miss?” For George Ford — yes.
«Why is this? Because he rehearses the ending of a Hollywood movie and mentally rehearses scoring goals. This is not an accident. The best tool for increasing confidence is mental rehearsal. If you often repeat something in your mind, your body truly believes that it can to do it. Too many people think it was just a momentary thing. It's hard, hard work both technically and mentally.»
The opposite of «in the moment» — It took George Ford years of training to have the technique and composure to kick in a World Cup match. Photo: Paul Harding/Getty Images
One particular scenario involved Ford positioning his body in a way that suggested he was going to pass only to switch to a fall. Such was the case with Ford's first goal as the English attack quickly lost momentum and Ellis Genge stopped dead in his tracks. As the English outside defenders turned to the right, Ford withdrew at the last moment, preventing his Argentine pursuers from getting the chance to attack him. “The lowering of targets occurs when the opposition least expects it,” Ford said. «It's about trying to disguise it a little bit, then giving yourself a little more time and space and hopefully trying to make it happen.»
Dress rehearsal on Thursday
Head coach Steve Borthwick often creates special scenarios in training for England's less experienced players to overcome, and Ford accidentally scored on Thursday. «He'll say, 'This is the script, let it work,'» flanker Ben Earl said. “For example, on Thursday afternoon we needed three points to win, so George getting into the pocket is nothing we haven’t seen before. We're just glad it paid off and the training is working.”
Other specific circumstances that led to the use of this tactic were the loss of Tom Curry to England due to a red card, and hot and humid conditions which caused the ball to be slippery but also travel further through the air. “I don’t think I saw a single goal, my face ended up on the turf every time, but it felt so good,” Earl said. “Running halfway, conserving energy… getting down to 14 and losing a pack member is all about conserving energy.”
Physical energy and, as prop master Dan Cole noted, psychological energy as well. “When the scoreboard keeps ticking, it affects the psyche of the team,” Cole said. “Confidence grows when Fordy scores goals from over 50 meters.” Meanwhile, Argentina seemed to have lost the wind from Ford's drips and their chase was becoming more and more hopeless.
«Rugby is a matter of scoring points»
If the strategy of conceding goals was not fully thought through, then kicking on goal was certainly an option as Ford added six penalties for a 27-point rebound, his highest in international rugby. The “take points” option has gone somewhat out of fashion. Ten years ago in the Premier League there were two attempts per penalty. There are now 2.4 attempts for every penalty.
In May, Ford noted the event with concern in an interview with Telegraph Sport. “I don't think it gets talked about enough, but rugby is the sport where a team can put the most pressure on a team in terms of gaining field position, maintaining position and scoring points,” Ford said. “For some reason it's falling out of favor, it's unfashionable. If you score, you potentially force the other team to play a little differently.
“The teams you play against at Test level are very strong. These are incredible teams with incredible players. You won't score every time you face a 22-point opponent. You can try to do it, but it's a matter of how much pressure you can create. Let's keep going there, let's keep chipping away, and then maybe at some point the dam will break. I know that's not the sexiest way to talk.”
For the frenzied England fans in Marseille on Saturday night, the sound of Ford scoring was sexier than Serge Gainsbourg's duet with Jane Birkin.
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