Creaking Ford-farrell axis badly needs a reset
If Eddie Jones is not going to overhaul his team, his 10-12 duo simply have to change the way they play
Hands up, who predicted that England back line when it was announced on Thursday? Eddie Jones is nothing if not stubborn. He was never going to rip things up to please his detractors. He wants his England team to play themselves back into form.
For that to happen, though, England’s midfield axis is going to have to change dramatically its modus operandi. Because Wales, to my eyes, are favourites for today’s game.
That is a big statement considering England suffocated Wayne Pivac’s men at Parc y Scarlets a few short months ago. But looking at the two teams I think they will fancy their chances.
If England are not going to change their personnel, they simply have to alter their style of play. And if there is one man who needs a big performance today, it is Owen Farrell.
England’s captain is getting pelters from all sides at the moment. Having started at 10 against Scotland in the opening game, when England were way below par, Eddie moved him to 12 against Italy outside George Ford. That brought an improvement in intent, but the accuracy and execution were miles away from what could be described as a great international performance.
The growing consensus appears to be that Farrell is somehow stuck between playing in the position he wants to play, where he risks losing his place, and on the other hand keeping his starting jersey but being played at inside centre and not playing like one; lacking the dynamic acceleration needed, wanting to play the distributor role too often, and kicking the ball away too much.
You can find statistics to back up the argument that Farrell has been below par. He has beaten one defender so far in his two games. He has made zero offloads. He has also made remarkably few carries considering he finished the Scotland game at centre and played the entire game there against Italy: just 10 carries.
That final stat is the one that feels most pertinent heading into today’s game. I do not want anyone to misinterpret me. Farrell is an awesome player and competitor. This is a guy who has led England to Six Nations titles and a World Cup final, who has played with distinction for the Lions and for Saracens. I have no doubt he can do so again. But I think he has slightly forgotten the first rule of being a centre: you have to give the team a gain line. You have to carry hard.
In old money you have to smash it up more often than you pass, especially early in the game. And especially with no other front-line ball-carrier in the backs, in the shape of Manu Tuilagi, Jamie Roberts, Ma’a Nonu. Farrell can look around and that fact must hit him and his coach in the face. If he does not do it, no one else will.
If no one does it you lose more often than you win. Forwards have to retreat to rucks, big men have to go wide and wide again. Unless you give the team the option to go forward in quick staccato rucks set up by an initial gain line won by your midfield, you become predictable and your fly-half and scrum-half have no other option but to kick it.
Even Dan Carter, when he played at centre, smashed it up the middle. I watched his Instagram and Twitter posts time and again this week to remind myself what a complete hero he was, but I was struck again – and many forget it – how confrontational he was early in his career as a ball-carrier. Flat to the gain line, running with bite and aggression.
England have to get over the gain line today if they are to implement the style of play Eddie wants. That means one of either Farrell or Henry Slade smashing into opposition bodies, hitting inside shoulders.
Ford could help Farrell by playing like he did when he was 20 years old. He is sitting as deep as the San Andreas Fault at the moment. That is not him. Ford’s best rugby is high-tempo, rugby league-style, flat to the line, pump-action pass, bang, drill someone into a slot, float through the channels and reload.
He is unbelievable at delaying his pass until the last possible moment. That BBC advert for the Six Nations about who blinks first? Ford is always the last to blink. You think he is going to get smashed, but he waits and waits and then, bang, the hole opens up. He needs to get back to doing that.
Surely our first option on the halfway line is not catch, drive, box-kick? Surely George did not sign up for that? Mind you, back at Leicester he is even deeper than the San Andreas Fault – he is in some crater on Mars launching spiral kicks.
Both Farrell and Ford are brilliant players. To say anything else would be revisionist. But they are choosing to play in a way that is not allowing the team to express themselves, to smile. So, either Farrell has to say to Ford: “Get up there! You’re getting me killed passing me the ball back here!” Or Ford’s got to say to Farrell: “Stop trying to do my job! Give me some gain line!”
Good teams are about complementary skill sets. It was always the joke that Mike Tindall and I worked well because I could not tackle and he could not pass. There was some truth to that! But it worked. Nor were we afraid to tell Jonny Wilkinson that there were passages and phases and strike plays where he simply had to be a conduit, not a king. “No footwork Jonny. No engagement with the enemy. Stand flat, stand still, pass us the ball.” That is what teammates have to do. Positive friction.
Ford and Farrell are best mates. They both see things through the same lens. But it is time they reset their partnership. They have to start producing the goods: 21 days, three games. These guys are big-game players, championship winners. Now is the time to show it.