Rugby World Cup winner ‘astounded’ if Owen Farrell is England’s answer at fly-half
Owen Farrell and George Ford in action for England at the Rugby World Cup.
Former England scrum-half Matt Dawson is adamant that George Ford, and not captain Owen Farrell, is the country’s best fly-half.
After the struggles against Samoa in their final Rugby World Cup pool game, Steve Borthwick looks set to ditch the 10-12 playmaking axis this weekend.
That means one of Farrell or Ford will make way and, according to reports, it will be the latter.
England’s midfield combination
Borthwick is likely to select the skipper in the number 10 shirt, with the match-winner against Argentina dropping to the bench.
It will also allow Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant to once again combine at centre, while Marcus Smith could start in the full-back shirt.
Considering Farrell’s struggles against Samoa, Dawson would be surprised if the 32-year-old is considered England’s preferred option at pivot.
“I can’t believe anybody in the coaching staff thinks that Farrell is a better 10 than Ford now,” he told the BBC’s Rugby Union Daily podcast.
With the Red Rose in arrears, it was Ford who was sacrificed to allow Smith to come on against Samoa and help them to an 18-17 come-from- behind victory.
“Part of me thinks that he brought Ford off because they need him next week. I’d be amazed, astounded, if Farrell is at 10,” Dawson said.
“In the last quarter he put in some wayward passes and gave the ball back to Samoa when they were on the charge.”
Farrell’s on-field issues
It was certainly not the most auspicious of displays from Farrell, who was playing just his second match since returning from suspension.
The playmaker’s general performance was off while he became the first player to fall victim to the new shot clock law in the World Cup when his penalty attempt ticked down to zero.
Dawson ultimately did not feel Farrell was in the right frame of mind for the encounter last weekend, which has left him concerned for the quarter-final with Fiji.
“He didn’t have his head in the game about penalties and the shot clock. This is about a knockout game which is going to be a tough ask and you need the right people in the right shirts,” he added.
“Farrell will go down as one of the greats for England, but at the moment he’s not at the levels of the other players at 10 or 12, and no matter how much you try to squeeze that square peg into a round hole it isn’t going to go. I think there’s a ripple effect around the team.”
