Ford gets back into top gear..
GEORGE FORD rejects the idea that losing his England jersey to Danny Cipriani was a kick up the backside he needed.
Yet in his first home league game back with Leicester he amassed 29 points and looked twice the player he has done for the majority of this year.
“I don’t think it was a wake-up call for me at all,” said the fly-half, who had never scored so many points in a single Premiership match.
“You want to start for your country, of course you do, but to win a World Cup we’ve got to be a squad of 31, we’ve got to be as tight as anything.
“Eddie (Jones) went for that decision from gut instinct.
“You respect that and come back a better player.
“I was more than happy with the way I played in the summer.”
He might have been, but World Cup-winner Matt Dawson was not and said so in his most recent Mirror column.
“We all know the talent he has but George needs to quickly reassert himself in the pecking order,” Dawson wrote.
“He must show he can dictate big games.
“A year out from the World Cup he needs to be man of the match regularly if he’s to convince Eddie he’s his man for Japan.
“Cipriani, remember, is the man in possession.”
Ford, 25, duly picked up man-of-the-match honours on a day which also saw the return to form of Manu Tuilagi with a stunning 53-metre try.
After a week of praise for Cipriani and his eye-catching start at Gloucester, Ford was even more dominant than his rival as England No.10 has been.
“A big focus for me was running with the ball more and being a bit more threatening,” he said.
“I want to continue to push areas of my game.”