- Farrell set for fly-half start with George Ford to miss out
- Marcus Smith expected to replace Steward at full-back
Steve Borthwick appears set to axe George Ford and install his captain Owen Farrell at fly-half for England’s World Cup quarter-final against Fiji with Marcus Smith expected to be given the nod at full-back.
In what would represent two of the boldest selection calls of Borthwick’s tenure, the captain Farrell is likely to revert to the No 10 jersey with the head coach – who announces his team on Friday – primed to employ Smith as the second playmaker from full-back.
Written by Gerard Meagher in Aix-en-Provence
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/11/steve-borthwick-owen-farrell-george-ford-england-fiji-rugby-world-cup under the title “Borthwick to gamble on Farrell and Smith with Ford set for England axe”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
