16 October, Wednesday, 2024
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New No 10, same old story as George Ford stifled by England straitjacket

In the wake of Owen Farrell’s looming ban, this was Ford’s moment in the limelight

Those expecting a seismic shift in England’s fortunes with George Ford starting at fly-half will have been disappointed, not that he should really be blamed. 

His cameo off the bench against Wales showed how well Ford can run the show when the tactical handbrake comes off, which only seems to happen for England either when they find themselves chasing a deficit in the final 20 minutes or having lost a player to a red card, a trend which goes back last autumn under Eddie Jones against the All Blacks.

Here in Dublin, handed a first England start since the 2021 Six Nations, Ford would have loved to lay down a marker. And perhaps in a way he did, albeit only internally by giving the coaches exactly what they wanted, sticking religiously to the attacking tactical plan provided for him – if you can call it that – with predictably minimal returns.

Not one England back has scored a try for England since Freddie Steward against France in the Six Nations pasting at Twickenham. England since then have lost three Tests out of four and scored an average of 13.5 points per Test. Sometimes the system is at fault, not the players. And if this England are holding anything back for the Rugby World Cup, which doesn’t seem to be the case, then we are in for an almighty shock.

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