Ford lauds strength in depth

Fly-half George Ford has hailed the abundance of talent England coach Eddie Jones has at his disposal as 'frightening.'

Ford was a crucial member of the touring squad in June that claimed a 2-0 series victory over Argentina despite 15 of their front-line players missing on duty with the British and Irish Lions.

11 new caps were handed out in total on the tour and this Ford believes, is proof of the strength in depth that exists in English rugby at the moment.

“Argentina was a bit of a different challenge,” Leicester star Ford told the Courier.

“We had so many players missing, we had a lot of young lads and new lads in the squad, and as a 10 you have got to be able to understand that and try and bring them up to speed and manage them a little bit more.

“It was brilliant for me, and it was a really enjoyable two weeks out there.

“I enjoyed getting to know different people, guys like Alex Lozowski and Piers Francis. It is refreshing to get to know those guys and their games.

“What the Argentina tour did was it gave guys opportunities, and it gave Eddie and the coaching staff a chance to have a look at a few players.

“I have never known the strength in depth of what the English game is at the minute. If someone was to go down (injured) and not be able to play in a Six Nations game or an autumn Test, the amount of guys who could come in and play at that level and do really well is frightening, really.

“As a player, you understand that, so you have got to make sure you keep moving your game forward and improving your game. If you stand still, you are going to get caught up and you are going to lose your spot. That’s the reality of it.

“Guys are getting experience of the Premiership now at a younger age, while the Under-20s World Cup and that programme is also helping a lot. You look at the Curry brothers, Nick Isiekwe, Nathan Earle, they have all come through the academies and are pushing for Test squads now, which is brilliant.”