‘Look what Tom Curry’s gone and done’ – George Ford says England tour offers golden opportunity for rookie to become global star
England fly-half George Ford and head coach Steve Borthwick.
George Ford has demanded his England team forget the absence of caps on offer and treat Saturday’s clash with France as a full-blown Test match.
He says there is a golden ticket awaiting at least one of the rookies who embark on their Red Rose representative journey at Twickenham tomorrow.
Co-captain Ford pulls on the England 10 shirt at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham for what would have been his 100th cap had the game not been downgraded to ‘friendly’ status.
Coming at the end of a long season, and with rugby’s focus on the British & Irish Lions who open their 2025 campaign in Dublin against Argentina this evening, this fixture appears a hard sell – for players and supporters alike.
But Ford, who shares leadership duties with Jamie George, insists it is a golden opportunity for an England 23 featuring five uncapped players – offering at least one of them the chance to kick on and become a global star.
‘It’s not a game in isolation’
“For us it’s the start of our summer tour,” the Sale Sharks fly-half said. “It’s not a game in isolation. We’re playing at Twickenham and we’re going to be playing against good players.
“Eight years ago the Lions were also away and England went to Argentina. There were five or six senior players and the rest of the squad was so young and new.
“It brought new energy, probably freshened things up a little bit. It was Tom Curry’s first tour and look what he’s gone on and done. I’m sure someone on this tour will kick on and become an unbelievable player in the world of rugby as well.”
When Curry made his debut against the Pumas five days before his 19th birthday he became the youngest player to start an international for England for 90 years.
He now has 61 caps, has played in a World Cup final, been shortlisted for World Rugby player of the year and is about to embark on his second Lions tour.
Steve Borthwick on Monday names his 36-man squad to tour Argentina and the United States, a trip in which England play two Tests against the Pumas and one against the US Eagles.
The head coach says the squad will come from the group he has had in camp. There are places to be won and lost, potentially, this weekend. There is no room for free wheeling.
‘We’re expecting a tough, talented French team’
“We’re taking it like any other game. We want to perform, we want to get a good result,” Ford said. “Even though it’s not a cap game, we’re expecting a tough, talented French team.
“It’s an opportunity for us to get as cohesive as possible leading into the next few games, heading over to Argentina and America. We want to come out of this game doing loads of good stuff which we can still improve on before Argentina.”
Asked if he feels there are superstars in the making among England’s rookie intake, he replied: “Yeah, I do. You can just sense already there’s some players in this team. The way they attack training, their attitude, their skill set.
“Obviously the difference in Test Rugby is you’ve got to go and deliver it in a more pressurised environment. That’s the ultimate test isn’t it? But some lads will definitely make that jump, 100 per cent.”
Seb Atkinson has the potential to be that player, based on the year he has had with Gloucester and the impact he has made on the England management since coming into camp.
According to Borthwick, the uncapped centre has “smashed every record we have on the GPS for running in training – not something you would expect from a player straight into the squad.”
