Axed Ford pays the price as England go full metal jacket

Farrell starts at fly-half to combat Australia Lawes in as Jones urges ‘defend with brutality’

RUGBY CORRESPONDENT in Oita

Eddie Jones believes his “Samurai” squad will come down the volcanic hills that surround their base near Oita to deliver a merciless performance against Australia tomorrow, in what the head coach describes as a “do-or-die” match.

Jones insists that his warriors are “23-strong with eight more hiding up there in the caves”, a rallying cry of unity from which George Ford is unlikely to take much consolation after he was dropped to the bench for the second World Cup in succession for the crunch fixtures.

England, in fact, have traded an in-form fly-half for another player for the third tournament running, with Martin Johnson doing likewise with Toby Flood and Jonny Wilkinson in 2011. The ploy has not worked before yet Jones is adamant that it is the squad who matter, not the starting XV, likening them to the ancient Japanese military.

“It’s do-or-die time,” said Jones. “You see those hills at the back of us? That’s where the Samurai lived. Every time the Samurai fought, one lived and one died. It will be the same on Saturday: someone is going to live and someone is going to die. That’s the excitement of the knockouts. You get the best eight teams, all playing for their lives.”

have delivered even more of a coup in their selection of Jordan Petaia, 19, at outside centre after just three Test appearances, the youngest player to represent the Wallabies at a World Cup. It is a bold move, in keeping with the mood of the underdog squad. “The fear inside us is dead,” said head coach Michael Cheika. “Jordan is more than ready to do this.”

As for Jones, he rejected the notion that he has gambled by ditching Ford as the starting fly-half to reassemble the midfield of Owen Farrell, Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade that served England well during the 2019 Six Nations. Slade, though, has seen only 40 minutes of action in this tournament after being troubled by a knee problem. There is little doubt that this lineup has been in Jones’s head for some time. To outsiders, Ford is the fall guy. It is not a Sam Burgess moment, the card that collapsed the deck in 2015, but it is certainly an eyebrow-raiser if only for the fact that Ford has been one of the players of the entire tournament.

To those inside the camp, Jones is adamant that this is the norm, a nonstory with the musketeer mentality in play where it is one for all and all for one, “the finishers”, as Jones has depicted those on the replacements’ bench, having as much of a role as the guy who starts. Try telling that to Ford, whom Jones described as “disappointed but taking it well”, which is coach-speak for “fuming and inconsolable”.

It is a fair bet that Jones intended going down this route all along, not showing his hand during the pool matches so as to lure the opposition down a false trail. Farrell, of course, was the kingpin selection at No10 throughout the year. With Courtney

Lawes preferred to George Kruis at lock, there is a bristling sense of menace about England.

“It is horses for courses,” conceded Jones, noting that Wallaby centre Samu Kerevi is “a damaging ball-carrier” and that he wants England “to defend with brutality”.

He said: “The World Cup has been significant in this selection. Australia brings a particular set of issues in terms of their attack and in terms of the way they defend. They defend a lot differently from most teams. We also believe our players can trouble their defence. We know Australia are a high-possession team, they are a high-phase team, so there’s going to be a lot of defending in that area.” As for the Ford bombshell: “You guys are obsessed with who starts,” added Jones. “Look at baseball, where some of the closers are the most highly-paid pitchers in the game because they have such an important job to do.”

There are changes elsewhere, with Mako Vunipola making his first start in five months after ripping his hamstring in the European Champions Cup final on May 11. The Saracens loosehead has only 17 minutes against Argentina in this World Cup, even less than Slade has managed. “The pair have been training exceptionally well,” said Jones who was picking from choice bar Jack Nowell, who is expected to be available if there is a next week for England. “The guys are ready to go.”

No one questions the merits of the midfield players. It has been widely acknowledged that Farrell is better utilised at fly-half. The issue is one of match sharpness, as well as lack of familiarity given that this is the first time that this back line has started together. For Jones, though, esprit de corps matters more than silky skill or polished manoeuvres, particularly in a World Cup.

“The rugby in a World Cup is pretty simple as you don’t see brilliant rugby there,” said Jones. “You see teams that are able to do things well over and over again, dealing with the intensity, working hard for each other. I can’t recall a brilliant team winning the World Cup apart from New Zealand in 2015. The reality is you’ve got to play seven games in a row to win it. So you need those attributes of being tough, competing, stick together. The change in this team since 2016 has been enormous. Their growth together, the ability to work together, is a considerable change.”

England will need to bring all those attributes to bear. Jones may have won six in a row against Cheika’s Australia, but the Wallabies have only twice failed to reach the semi-finals, England denying them on both occasions. The Samurai will be going for the hat-trick tomorrow.