In a stunning turn of events, it appears that George Ford has clinched the coveted starting fly-half position for England, leaving the uncapped Fin Smith trailing behind.
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The dynamic duo is poised to lead the charge alongside seasoned scrum-half Danny Care in England’s upcoming Guinness Six Nations opener against Italy this Saturday.
Reports from Telegraph Sport suggest that England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, initially intended to field Marcus Smith as the starting fly-half. However, fate had other plans as the Harlequins playmaker suffered a setback with a calf injury on Monday.
The Telegraph Sport further unveiled the complete XV set to take the field, completing the intriguing lineup for England’s highly anticipated Six Nations clash against Italy.
Reacting to the selection, one fan wrote: “Yawn yawn yawn. Ford at 10? Daly on the wing? Same old kick-fest tactics I imagine. It’s cruel punishment when you think we could have had Mitchell, either Smith at ten and Feyi at wing. Try something new Borthwick!”
Another commented: “I do wonder if we might have missed an opportunity? I rate Ford, Marler, Daly etc highly but when will you get a better chance to give some of the newer players a cap in a high pressure game, because you’re not doing it against Ireland, Scotland or France. Feels a little “Safe””
A third wrote: “Care and Daly. Against Italy. Why?? Understand Ford I guess but I would have gone with F.Smith.”
Another said: “A bit underwhelming tbh,”
Reported England XV:
Front-row:
1. Joe Marler
2. Jamie George
3. Will Stuart
Second-row:
4. Maro Itoje
5. Ollie Chessum