Farrell idiocy leaves door open for Ford to lead Bothwick’s England at 10
England’s World Cup risks being scuppered before it even gets underway in France after captain Owen Farrell was handed a red card on Saturday, but Ford could come in and save the day.
It is already starting to feel like the Rugby World Cup of absentees. First it was the exclusion of the reigning champions Handre Pollard and Lukhanyo Am of South Africa, then it was Australia’s captain Michael Hooper.
Yesterday the star of the home French team Romain Ntamack was ruled out injured, as was his loosehead prop – and one of the best in the world – Cyril Baille and England’s scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet.
And today, at some point this afternoon, England captain Owen Farrell will find out how many matches of next month’s World Cup, if any, he will need to sit out.
Farrell won’t get away with high shot
It is highly unlikely that the Saracens playmaker will get off scot free; his high tackle on Wales’s Taine Basham in England’s 19-17 win over their rivals from across the Severn Bridge on Saturday is not his first offence of going above the shoulder in defence.
And while there is an argument to say Jamie George pushed Basham off balance, therefore reducing the time Farrell had to wrap around the back row, it’s an argument which is unlikely to stand up in front of the disciplinary hearing.
Farrell has only himself to blame. After all, he had to attend a tackle school to stamp out this very behaviour earlier this year.
But in Farrell’s absence in Twickenham on Saturday, there was a silver lining.
Much like the opening 40 minutes in Cardiff in the first leg of this double-header, nothing happened and everyone wanted to be somewhere else.
Leading by six points at half-time England offered little again. Unless they’re holding back every attack play, Argentina will be fancying their chances of topping Pool D as the days count down to the clash between the two big guns on 9 September.
New dynamic
In the opening match it was Marcus Smith and on Saturday it was Owen Farrell. Neither managed to show that it’s only a pass here or ruck there holding England back. It’s much more fundamental.
Out of the top 10 teams in the world only Italy are worse when it comes to points gained per entry to the opposition 22m area, the final quarter of the pitch before the try line, while only Argentina conceded more than England from each opposition entry into their own 22.
George Ford, though, offered a dynamic to England that we hadn’t seen for a long time when he came on to the pitch.
He was the stalwart No10 once upon a time, and started the last World Cup final in 2019, but there was a zip about England with him at the helm and it looked as though there was some meaningful depth to the side’s attack.
So with Smith unable to find form last week and Farrell potentially out for up to the semi-finals, Ford could re-emerge as England’s saviour, having played a bit-part role since the last Rugby World Cup.
But the reality is this, there’s a number of superstars who now won’t be at the World Cup for a number of reasons – Scotland’s Stuart Hogg and world record cap holder Alun Wyn Jones included – and the continued loss of stars to bans or otherwise is sad for the competition.
Farrell will look back in hindsight, though, and wish he tackled lower. But he’s been here before and done similar in the past. Unlike those who are injured, Farrell has only himself to blame and he will undoubtedly suffer the consequences.
What England and Steve Borthwick do from here is unknown, but in Ford there’s a solution to a problem the team didn’t need to have. And in this moment, just weeks away from a World Cup with a squad already named, what else are England to do?