George Ford says a new leadership group has emerged with England after admitting it was ‘strange’ to be without Owen Farrell.
Ford, who is set to make his 93rd appearance at Twickenham on Saturday, will aim to start the Six Nations campaign with two successive victories as England edge past Wales.
The 30-year-old fly-half has spent a decade grappling for a starting role. With Farrell out of England for the foreseeable future following Marcus Smith’s calf injury, Ford will continue to manage the youth team with Fin Smith remaining on the bench.
ford, One of the three vice-captains appointed along with Maro Itoje and Ellis Genge, stated that the team captained by Jamie George is adjusting to life without Farrell, his long-term partner in midfield and teammate since adolescence.
Ford explained that Sam Underhill was cast as a more vocal presence and that the new figures needed to be true to themselves.
“It’s different,” he said of an England setup without Farrell. “He’s been here for so long, he’s been an integral part of us, he’s been our captain, he’s been a great leader for us and he’s stamped his authority on our team.
“So of course it’s different not having him here, but there’s always a time when things change, and I think for us – for me and for other leaders – maybe it’s not right to try to replicate the situation where he was here, but be a little more original.” [to ourselves] With this. I think Jamie did this brilliantly.
“It’s the first day at camp and he’s not here, it’s a bit weird at first because he’s rugby mad and obsessed with rugby and most of the conversations me and him would have would be about rugby, the weekend’s game, training, the game the night before. But Marcus and Fin are also rugby enthusiasts.” , so you develop relationships with these guys as well.”
Ford, who made his Test debut against Wales in the 2014 Six Nations and came on as a substitute for Farrell in the final two minutes of the 29-18 win at Twickenham, said there had been a “debate about who would play number 10 for England” since his father Mike became a coach. he remembers. He emphasized that the players are “getting used to the noise out there.”
“Everyone has their own opinion on who should play and how England should play,” Ford said.
Steve Borthwick strengthened his squad by appointing Felix Jones as defense coach; It was a change that energized Ford: “As soon as you think you’ve got it done or figured it out, that’s when you get caught, right?
“It’s been a consistent thing for me to keep finding little areas or sections of my game [to improve]. It’s great to have someone like Felix coming in from a defensive standpoint.
“Obviously he ran a different system and coached different players. Learning what you want from him and others; “It gives you new life, it revitalizes you and makes you want to be better defensively.”
An unchanged England squad makes its second consecutive appearance for the unlikely center forward partnership of Fraser Dingwall and Henry Slade. Continuity should benefit Ford, who stepped up his class at last year’s World Cup while Farrell was suspended, scoring three drop goals to topple Argentina after Tom Curry’s red card.
‘When you are not a man, you have a decision’
However, Ford was left out of the starting side in the knockout rounds and was among the substitutes when Farrell returned. Time and disappointments such as the 2015 World Cup have taught him to remain “neutral” and seize opportunities when they arise
“When you’re not a man and you experience a setback, you make a decision in the moment,” he said. “Do you throw your toys out of the stroller or do you say ‘stuff that’ and come back better?”
“It happened a few times [to me]added Ford. “I think maybe the thing I didn’t get along the best with was my youth. I probably wasn’t interested in the first match of the 2015 World Cup [well]. That’s what I thought it was [the low point] because this was a very new experience for me.
“There was a World Cup in England, this huge thing, you play the first match of the World Cup on Friday night [against Fiji] and you win with a bonus point and the next week things change [Ford was dropped to the bench]. “I think it was me because I was a little younger and hadn’t experienced it before.”
Ford expects Wales to prioritize an assured start on Saturday after going down a 27-0 deficit in the first round against Scotland and then recovering with 26 unanswered points. He also predicts Warren Gatland’s charges will remain hanging in the contest regardless of England’s performance.
“The one thing this shows is that Wales don’t stop, they never give up,” he said. “They always play until the end, no matter what the scoreline is. “That makes them dangerous.”