England legends claim All Blacks encounter ‘huge’ for returning star as ‘leadership’ the key to success
Ben Youngs and Dan Cole have praised the leadership and intelligence of their former teammate George Ford ahead of this weekend's crucial clash against the All Blacks.
Ben Youngs and Dan Cole have praised the leadership and intelligence of their former teammate George Ford ahead of this weekend’s crucial clash against the All Blacks.
The Sale Sharks fly-half was rested last weekend for England’s clash against Fiji, but has returned to the starting line-up this weekend as Fin Smith drops out of the 23.
If England take the victory against New Zealand, then they will make it a remarkable ten wins on the bounce – a far cry from the miserable run of form they found themselves in at the start of Steve Borthwick’s reign.
On their podcast, For The Love Of Rugby, Cole spoke about the wavering response from England fans, saying: “George Ford got booed a year ago. It was almost like George Ford was the least appreciated bloke in world rugby.
“It came against New Zealand, he hit the post off the penalty, then missed a drop goal on the back of a shaky scrum, and the week after, he got booed for some ungodly reason against Australia after coming on the field. It was really weird.
“But then fast forward a year, and especially at the back end of last year, rebounding from that in regards to how he played, how he led. I think some of the media hyped him up to the point where George Ford could do no wrong.
“He’s always been good. He’s always played well. The dip isn’t there. He’s just been good all the time. But it’s people’s perceptions of how he’s played that changed.”
Ben Youngs was also full of praise for his former half-back partner, saying: “He should be appreciated, should be celebrated. 12 months later, he’s got another shot against the All Blacks, and he will feel very confident about going out there.
“We know his mentality. He’ll approach this game, getting every detail right for the group. He’ll be preparing the whole team as well as looking after his own stuff. Do not be surprised if you see a massive game from George on Saturday, and rightly so, because as you said, Coley, he should be celebrated, should be applauded.”
The best players make those around them better
It’s not just his own performance that Ford has an impact on; it’s those around him.
Dan Cole continued: “If George Ford doesn’t put in a man-of-the-match performance, he will still make everyone around him better.
“The aerial contest for Roebuck and Freddie Steward, he’ll put them on the money for them to look good. He’ll bring Dingwall and Ollie Lawrence into the game and make them look good, and he’ll put his forward runners in the hole. So he’ll make everyone around him look good. The team is better for him, and I think that needs to be appreciated.”
Touching on that point, Ben Youngs pointed out the relative lack of experience surrounding Ford, saying: “From a leadership point of view, Guy Pepper, doing a great job in international rugby, but learning his way. Ben Earl has been exceptional this autumn, carried on being great for England, but he’s an energy giver, he’s a doer, he’s not really a tactical guy. Sam Underhill goes around, bangs things, that’s his action, that’s how he leads. Mitch, busy, energetic, but quite calm, not going to necessarily bark the orders.
“In terms of backs, you look at Fraser Dingwall, inexperienced. You look at Ollie Lawrence, another guy that’s got experience, but just goes on and does his business, doesn’t like to shout too much or bark orders, again, someone just follows. Roebuck is the same, Manny Feyi-Waboso is the same, both are fairly inexperienced, and are just doers. Freddie Steward is the same.
“So, you look across there, you need someone like George Ford. You need him for his leadership, his tactical ability, and his ability to calm others. Because, make no mistake, Saturday is huge for him.”
What Ford can bring
“They have won nine on the bounce,” Youngs continued.
“Out of those nine games they’ve won, they’ve only beaten one team in the top four in world rankings, and that’s France. This is a huge opportunity for England. I’m backing them to do it, no doubt about it, but you need someone like George out there just to steady it, just to calm it, to give that presence, give that leadership, give that tactical nous and everything like that.
If England start the game like Scotland did, and they go 17-0, and George wasn’t out there, you’d be going, ‘my gosh, you need someone out there that can just absorb it, think about it, reset and drag everyone with them’. And he does that through the way he speaks, how he tactically sees it, and everyone knows and respects him so much because they see him every week, turn up every day, tactically be brilliant, drive standards, drive the message, and push the group forward.
“So when he says something on the pitch, everyone’s all in on it. That’s why he’s starting mate. I think it’s around looking after those guys in and around him, mate, because they’re going to need help.
