Ford to be dropped with Smith at No15 for England quarter-final
George Ford is set to be dropped from the England starting XV as Steve Borthwick’s looks to return to play-maker Owen Farrell on Sunday against Fiji.
The Sale Sharks No10 started three of England’s four pool stage games at the Rugby World Cup – versus Argentina, Japan and Samoa – but is set to be replaced by the Saracens fly-half after Farrell’s trial in the centres against the Pacific island last week did not come off.
Reports also suggest that fellow No10 Marcus Smith will start at full-back against Fiji, who England lost to in August ahead of their World Cup campaign.
The move will come as a surprise to many with Ford expertly guiding England with the drop goal against Argentina in England’s difficult opening match.
The reshuffle in the backs suggests that Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant could partner one another at No12 and No13.
It comes as England forward Jamie George urged his side to use their experience of big games at the World Cup to topple Fiji and earn a semi-final against either France or South Africa.
“We can’t shy away from the fact this is probably one of the biggest games we are ever going to play in,” Saracens hooker George said.
“We’ve got a lot of players who have been there and done that on some big stages. We’ve got players who have experience of a World Cup final and the latter stages of World Cups and some players who are playing in their fourth World Cup.
“We’ve got a great group of senior players who are very open and honest with the younger players who this could be intimidating for.
“But this is why we’re here. We want to play on the biggest stage, the quarter-final of a World Cup is exactly where we want to be. Next week we want to be in the semi-final and so on.
“These are exciting times and the more experienced players need to draw on their experiences and make sure everyone is in the right spirit going into the weekend.”