The talk of who should start at fly-half for England continues as George Ford, Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith fight for the coveted No 10 position; England next face Samoa on October 7, where victory will ensure they top their pool group ahead of the knockout stages
Last Updated: 28/09/23 1:13pm
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Former England international Luther Burrell hails the ability of Marcus Smith and says he is the key to expansive Rugby for Steve Borthwick’s side.
Former England international Luther Burrell hails the ability of Marcus Smith and says he is the key to expansive Rugby for Steve Borthwick’s side.
Former England international Luther Burrell believes Steve Borthwick should choose George Ford over Owen Farrell at fly-half against Samoa.
England have the weekend off before they face Samoa on October 7 in their final Rugby World Cup pool match. Victory will ensure they finish top of their group ahead of the knockout stages.
Captain Farrell returned from suspension to take Ford’s place in a 71-0 win against Chile, with another fly-half option – Marcus Smith – impressing at full-back.
Whoever gets the nod against Samoa, Burrell says he would be wary of pairing Ford and Farrell in a fly-half-centre partnership.
“This has been an ongoing debate with the England national team for a number of weeks. Marcus Smith really put his hand up at full-back. He showed that x-factor that he can bring to the team at the weekend,” Burrell told Sky Sports News.
“George Ford has been outstanding – the way he controlled the game against Argentina was just phenomenal. He steered the ship to victory on the back of what was a very tough period for the national team going into the tournament.
“It’s a very difficult decision for Steve Borthwick to make. For me, he’s probably going to go with George Ford, looking to bring Owen Farrell on and potentially look at the combination at 10 and 12 again.”
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Highlights from Saturday’s Rugby World Cup action as Ireland recorded victory over South Africa, England thrashed Chile and Georgia and Portugal drew.
Farrell made eight out of 11 conversions on his return from suspension against Chile and has played together with Ford under the previous Eddie Jones reign.
“The way Ford was able to steer the ship and have complete control over the fixture against Argentina, was exactly where he needs to be,” explained Burrell.
“If you look at the run that Ford has been on in the past couple of seasons – Premiership final with Leicester, then the Premiership final with Sale as underdogs. Nobody would have predicted Sale to make that final. He had a huge role to play in that.
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Eleanor Roper reflects on England’s resounding 71-0 victory over Chile in Pool D.
“Then we saw him come on against Chile at the weekend and his first touch, as he takes the ball to the line, a little double pump and he puts Henry Arundell down the wing in what I believe was his best try of the five he scored.
“I do believe George Ford needs to be there and have complete control. Is that going to happen with Owen Farrell at 12? Potentially not. Steve Borthwick has to really get the balance right. We have seen that Ford and Farrell does work in certain occasions – it worked under Eddie Jones.
“But right now, the team has evolved and that particular combination isn’t where Steve Borthwick should be looking.”
What about Smith?
Marcus Smith starred for England against Chile, when he started at full-back
Smith came on as a replacement in England’s opening two World Cup matches, brining energy to the team during his limited time on the pitch, and the 24-year-old starred at full-back from the start against Chile.
“Smith brings excitement every time he’s got his hands on the ball. He sees space, he can read the game very well, he’s a distributor, so he can play as a second fly-half in that outside channel when George Ford or Owen Farrell or controlling other areas of the field,” Burrell said.
“I think he has to be an option there. There has been an issue around his tactical expertise in the full-back position but if England want to play this expansive game that everyone is hoping for, we need to see Marcus Smith on the field.”
