Farrell and Ford often seem unable to get the best out of each other. Photo: Getty Images/Dan Mullan
Steve Borthwick has a playmaker dilemma ahead of England's quarter-final against Fiji on Sunday.
The England manager could play with one, two or even all three players of Owen Farrell, George Ford and Marcus Smith, but risks frustrating the midfield. the balance his team has found early in the tournament.
Telegraph Sport rugby experts give their verdict on what they will do.
Play Ford at level 10 with two correct centers
It wasn't broken, but England was still trying to fix it. When George Ford was in charge, England played cool, calm and collected, if not very beautiful, rugby.
The combination of Ford and Owen Farrell did not work against Samoa. If Ford had been fit during the Six Nations and Farrell had not been sent off against Wales, perhaps Steve Borthwick would have had the chance to make that partnership work again. With Samoa it was worth a try, but we now admit that it failed. England's attack, with the exception of a decent first 15 minutes, looked clunky and clumsy, which is not surprising with so many players playing out of their natural positions.
So let's return Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchand to their rightful positions at 12 and 13 years old and select wingers on the flank and Freddie Steward at full-back.
Then it's a straight forward choice of Ford or Farrell halfway through. Farrell is captain, but for all his vaunted leadership abilities, many of England's best performances over the last couple of years have come with Courtney Lawes in charge, such as the 2022 series in Australia and the opening win over Argentina. It may not be a coincidence that England also recovered from 17–9 in the warm-up against Wales after Farrell was sent off.
The suspension cost Farrell the opportunity to regain his form and he looked rusty against Samoa. If it's the right choice based on form, then Ford should win outright after his man-of-the-match displays against Argentina and Japan. Without Farrell you'd be missing something defensively, which probably prevents you from drafting Marcus Smith at fullback as well, but Ford has a stronger kicking game — both off the hand and off the tee — and has a finer passing range .
Steve Borthwick has dropped Farrell from the Six Nations once before. If he's nitpicking about the form, he should do it again.
Daniel Schofield believes Steve Borthwick should ditch Owen Farrell. Photo: Getty Images/Dan Mullan Pick Farrell at 10, but with Smith at fullback
In truth, I continue to question what Steve Borthwick should do and leaving George Ford out of the knockout game, especially given his heroics against Argentina, would be a monumental decision. But I think there's a very good chance Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith start at 10 and 15, and a decent argument can be made for that.
You will have to work back from the centers. England look the most solid, with Manu Tuilagi or Ollie Lawrence in the middle alongside Joe Marchant. But at the same time, this formation does not allow the ball to move the ball far beyond Ford, and it needs two playmakers. Farrell feels most comfortable in the semi-finals and shares keen synergy with Smith, who will become his second distributor. In phase attack, these two currently form a more effective dual action than Ford and Farrell. Borthwick, as Leicester manager, has experience of qualifying curveballs in big games and that could inject some energy into the England team.
In the semi-final, against a team more likely to tease England with their kicks, that could change. But Borthwick does not cross bridges until he comes to them. If Farrell and Smith start together, there will be even more difficult decisions elsewhere in the 23rd round. Will Freddie Steward be forced to start on the wing? I'm not sure. Can you put Ford on the bench? This seems reasonable.
Continue to use Ford-Farrell
One reasonable interpretation of England's midfield changes and composition is that it doesn't really matter. Ford-Farrell may have looked awkward and ineffective at times in Saturday's match in Lille, but the question of why may be more relevant when the combination has worked so well before and includes two of the world's best midfielders.
But no matter who is in midfield, England's side simply have to generate more front-foot shots and faster balls. If they do what they have to do, then this will be the most fertile ground for Ford-Farrell to prosper. With a genuine 13-man outfield in Ollie Lawrence and a back three of Henry Arundell, Joe Marchant and Freddie Steward, there is enough individual threat to allow the dual playmakers to run the show. Lawrence out of the duo will also lead to greater defensive confidence, which was always a concern when Manu Tuilagi was around.
World class players and systems don't turn to dust overnight. If England solve the rest of their attacking jigsaw, the Ford-Farrell axis could remain the team's beating heart.
Charles Richardson believes that the axis of George Ford (left) and Owen Farrell may still work. particle-html.eip.telegraph.co.uk/24FE4044-b546-467E-B7B2-6B7FCBE3019F.html D = FALSE & Expandable = FALSE «Class =» TMG-Particle Embed » WRP -24fe4044-b546-467e-b7b2-6b7fcbe3019f» name=»Ben Coles, Rugby Reporter» data-truncated=»false» data-business-type=»editorial» loading=»energetic» scrolling=»no» Frameborder= «0 » style=»width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: static; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;»>
Probably , after this Rugby World Cup, there needs to be an honest conversation about what Farrell and England's plan is going forward. He will turn 36 during the next tournament in Australia. Can he emulate Johnny Sexton's success in Ireland by playing at the highest level until he is 30? Or will England decide over the next four-year cycle that it's time to move on?
Players and coaches constantly stress how important Farrell's leadership is to England, yet when the heat flared following Tom Curry's red card against Argentina, they achieved success with Farrell in the stands. So why did Farrell start at number 10 against Fiji? Because while Ford and Farrell may be Borthwick's preferred system, it is underdeveloped by two tests combined in almost three years. By keeping one of them, your ball-carriers and midfield physicality will improve against Jozua Tuisova and Vaisea Nayakalevu.
And also because England are so insistent that Farrell's leadership is irreplaceable. Smith as an option off the bench to change the appeal momentum. Poor Ford did almost nothing wrong.
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