FORD IS BACK!
George gets the nod at No 10 for All Blacks showdown
EDDIE JONES is poised to deliver a selection surprise this morning by recalling George Ford to England’s starting XV for the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
After the convincing 40- 16 victory over Australia in their quarter-final last Saturday, it was widely assumed the head coach would retain the same starting line-up against the All Blacks.
However, Jones was last night preparing another reshuffle, with
Ford (right) returning at 10 and captain Owen Farrell reverting to inside centre, with Manu Tuilagi outside him and Henry Slade back on the bench.
Jonny May has been racing to overcome a hamstring injury and was wearing a muscle stimulation device yesterday. The Leicester wing is likely to be fit but Jack Nowell was on stand- by for Saturday’s clash in Yokohama.
Up front, England’s pack is expected to feature one change, with George Kruis replacing Courtney Lawes in the second row to beef up the lineout. That would allow Jones to retain flankers Tom Curry and Sam Underhill in tandem when he names his team at 9am UK time today.
But the primary focus will be on the creative hub of the side in the 10, 12 and 13 shirts. After Farrell had delivered a masterpiece performance at stand-off against the Wallabies, Jones had hinted at the potential
for another role change, saying: ‘Whether he plays 10 next week, we’re not sure. He doesn’t know, and at this stage we don’t even know.’ Steve Hansen, New Zealand’s head coach, has already been preparing his side for the possibility of England changing their half-back partnership again. He said: ‘They could come up with any combination depending on how they want to play the game. ‘You’ve got to assume they could bring George Ford back, so you have to plan for that and you plan if they don’t. Through the Six Nations, Jones mixed it up and he’s mixed it up in this tournament. ‘You have to think that he’s going to do it again, but by this time of the week you’ve done your homework and who is at 10 doesn’t really matter. ‘They’ve got a blueprint, as do we, regardless of who you put in the numbers one to 23. The key thing then is making sure your guys have total clarity and you add in little nuances because you’re playing England instead of Ireland or Wales or whoever. A lot of the focus is really on yourselves.’