World Cup Wannabes

As expanded squads head into World Cup training camps, can these players grab their ticket to France 2023?

- ALAN DYMOCK

DO YOU take three hookers and three locks? How many nines make the cut? Will you get by with a few versatile back-three stars? As expanded national squads battle through camps ahead of Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, head coaches have some big calls to make.

For those players who aren't nailed-on starters, there is a big opportunity to ensure they are in the final World Cup squad. So we name a few athletes with points to prove in the coming weeks... 

George Ford Sale

Sharks & England

Some players are just blessed with vision and Ford - much like that man his career has been so intertwined with, Owen Farrell - simply has it. At his imperious best this season, Ford has put those peepers to good use as he guided Sale Sharks through games.

Sure, his team-mate Rob du Preez metaphorically loosened the jar lid, with Ford missing a fair whack of action. But it was Ford who was there in the crucial closing encounters. The question is, though, will his quality be rewarded in a Test sense by making it to France 2023? Ford hasn't featured in an International since 2022 and back then Marcus Smith was getting a go at fly-half, with Ford on the bench (and captain Farrell injured).

It's a different boss since 2022, though, with Steve Borthwick in charge - a man who worked closely with Ford last season. In fact, the whole England coaching ticket did. It looks promising. What's left is to see how tens are used, and when, in the World Cup auditions.

Grant Williams

Sharks & South Africa