England’s coaching staff have been weighing up a midfield reshuffle for the do-or-die clash here in Marseille.
Farrell moving to fly-half would likely also see Manu Tuilagi shift to inside centre, with Joe Marchant or Ollie Lawrence to come in at No13.
Any such shift would prove tough on Sale playmaker George Ford, who excelled at fly-half in England’s most important tournament victory yet here in France, the opening 27-10 win over Argentina.
Farrell was suspended for that encounter, and the 34-12 win over Japan, but has hit back in England’s pool-stage wins over Chile and Samoa.
England’s players and coaches have admitted that the stuttering performance in last weekend’s 18-17 win over Samoa will not be sufficient against Fiji on Sunday.
Ford and Farrell paired up at 10 and 12 against Samoa and showed flashes of the attacking shapes that so underpinned England’s run to the 2019 World Cup Final, with that duo so often in tandem in Japan.
This story is from the October 11, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the October 11, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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