Farrell should be out, but Borthwick won't drop his captain now
Manchester Evening News|October 12, 2023
ENGLAND MAY GET AWAY WITH TACTICS AGAINST FIJI, BUT WILL BE FOUND OUT IN SEMIS
Farrell should be out, but Borthwick won't drop his captain now

I WOULD put Owen Farrell on the bench for England's World Cup quarter-final against Fiji on Sunday.

But I know for certain Steve Borthwick will start him at inside centre and that is a big mistake.

At this stage of the tournament you need to be picking the players in form and in their correct positions. So you would have Joe Marchant at 13 and Manu Tuilagi at 12.

George Ford has played so well at this World Cup, he dictated the play against Argentina, he has to start at 10.

So for me Farrell has to start on the bench.

But it won't happen. He is the captain, and head coach Borthwick is nailed-on with his selection. If he drops him, then the head coach will be admitting he made a mistake in selecting him as skipper in the first place.

I give credit where credit is due. I was not a kicker and I can only imagine the pressure they are under, so for Farrell to pass Jonny Wilkinson's record points tally for England is a remarkable feat and he deserves a pat on the back for that.

And with the boot he has won a shed-load of games for England.

But maybe that kicking success has masked his inability to change up a game with the ball in hand.

He has been one of the best kickers in the game, but has he been one of the best rugby players?

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