Former England head coach Sir Clive Woodward has expressed his support for captain Owen Farrell to maintain his position as the fly-half following his return in the 71-0 victory over Chile.
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Winger Henry Arundell demonstrated his prowess by scoring five tries as England effortlessly dismantled the least formidable team in Pool D, virtually securing their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
Despite George Ford’s impressive back-to-back Player of the Match awards against Argentina and Japan, Woodward is of the opinion that Borthwick should persist with his decision to have the talented playmaker as a substitute.
Commenting on the game, Woodward said: “England have arrived at the World Cup with a statement win that shows the way they must play the game from here on. People will say, don’t get carried away, it was only Chile, but England fans are entitled to get carried away because the win showed we do have the players to play this way and if we keep hoofing the ball away we can’t play that way. England played beautifully.
“This was a massive night for England, not just because we beat Chile by 71 points, but the way we did it. It was about speed from lineouts, speed of ball, speed from rucking and running teams off their feet. If you are trying to be the best team in the world that is how to do it.
“It was the first time I can remember for a long time we have got a team playing with some real pace and real risk. If you ask, can you imagine playing this way against South Africa, Ireland or France, the answer is unequivocally yes. If you have got the coaching and the mind-set to do it, you can, and this was a massive step forward.
“This is the first time Steve Borthwick has coached a team to play like this and he would have learned a huge amount from last night in Lille. If you were a player, you would have loved playing in that match and the squad members on the sidelines would have been desperate to play in a game like that.”
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SIR CLIVE WOODWARD’S ENGLAND BACKLINE:
BACK-THREE:
15. Marcus Smith
14. Freddie Steward
11. Henry Arundell
Woodward wrote: “With Marcus Smith it is about getting your best players on the pitch. My back three would be Henry Arundell, who should have been in the team for a while, on one wing, Freddie Steward on the other and Smith at full-back.”
