2003 Rugby World Cup winner Jason Robinson, has weighed in on the on-going selection saga in Steve Borthwick’s England team. England are currently three wins from three in Pool D, and look like certain contenders to progress into the quarter-finals next weekend.
England’s victories over Argentina, Japan and Chile were all relatively straight-forward results, however the ongoing selection saga for the fly-half jersey has been anything but simple for Head Coach Borthwick. England entered the Rugby World Cup without their captain and starting fly-half Owen Farrell, as a four-match suspension gave way for George Ford to lead the line against Argentina and Japan.
The Sale halfback had a starring role in the opening round win over Los Pumas, as he slotted every one of England’s 27 points from the tee. Along with the rest of the side, Ford had a quieter game than hoped in England’s 34-12 win over Japan in round two, yet continued to lead from the front and was integral in the build-up to some of the scoring. The conundrum continued when Farrell returned to face Chile, and didn’t miss a beat in the 71-0 demolition over Los Condores.
England now enter a fallow weekend before the Pool D closer against Samoa on October 7th. Borthwick has just under two weeks to pick his side, with third fly-half option Marcus Smith settling into life as a converted fullback. Former England international Jason Robinson believes that Borthwick could well utilise both Ford and Farrell on the same pitch, at the same time.
Speaking to AceOdds last Friday ahead of the Chile match, Robinson said;
“They could (play together), they could do, and they probably might do. I can’t see Steve Borthwick leaving Owen Farrell out. I just can’t see it. So you would probably play one at 10 and one in the centre. Obviously Fordy you could only play at 10. So I would envisage that Owen would probably play at centre at this moment in time. But, again, this is the challenge that England has had for so long. Where do you play people? Is Owen a 10, is he a 12? And that’s where there’s this massive question mark. England have got to find out very quickly where people are playing and ideally keep them in that position and just let them have some game time together.
“So they could do, they have done in the past. Sometimes it works out for you if you have two fly halves, two tens in there because you’ve got different kicking options, handling options. And you’ve got two people that know each other as well, and they kind of came through the junior ranks together as well. You know, they can complement each other. It just depends on how steep a ball he wants to play.”
The Ford-Farrell axis was a tried and tested England system, that worked best during the successful highs of the Eddie Jones era. This partnership took England to the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final, and won them the 2020 Six Nations at the peak. A Premiership winner and former Head Coach with Sale, Robinson recognised the outstanding talents that Ford brings to the England set-up.
“Yeah, he’s one of the key players. I mean, I’ve been a fan of Ford for a long time now. I think he is very experienced. He’s been around the block, he’s done some great stuff for Leicester in the past. Obviously now at Sale Sharks. But I think from an English point of view, we need somebody that’s got a bit of experience, but we need somebody that is willing to play as well. So I think that game against Argentina was a massive boost.
Because England needed something and it seemed that he certainly had a platform to work off, with some of those drop goals. I loved scoring tries myself and attacking rugby. But sometimes you need to get the job done. And he was kicking them from the halfway line.
“So I mean, he’s put himself in there, this is a great thing about this team, there’s a lot of positions that are up for grabs. If you have a solid game, a good game, then there’s no reason why you can’t grab one of those shirts. And I think that’s, you know, Ford’s done that in one game. Had Farrell not been on a red card probably Farrell would’ve started at 10 and Fordy might not have got his opportunity. So it’s up to him now to take that on and really get this to work with the centres, work with Manu and really get this back line going. Because as I say, when they come into the potential quarter finals, you’re going to be playing teams where you’re going to have to create something, and start scoring tries, and hopefully get seven points instead of three.”
Throughout the 2023 Summer Nations Series, there was a definite focus on England’s poor discipline. The Twickenham faithful became more than familiar with World Rugby’s new ‘Bunker’ system, with Owen Farrell becoming the first recipient after his high tackle on Wales’ Taine Basham. England were fortunate to secure the win in the home match against Wales, after dropping down to just 12 men at one stage.
Billy Vunipola also received a two-match ban, for his dangerous tackle in the warm-up match against Ireland. Like Farrell, the Saracen missed out on England’s Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina, but has since returned to the fray and re-found his form. England are yet to receive a suspension at in France, with Robinson sharing his two cents on the current state of discipline at rugby’s top level.
“I think we’re seeing from lots of teams now you know, similar things. Unfortunately, what we’re not getting is consistency in how it’s dealt with. You know, if Curry’s going off and has got two matches, then that should have happened, I think Jesse Kriel. And then there’s the Chile game as well. I think there’s been another two or three incidents post Curry that have not received the same discipline. So same sanctions. So yeah, I know it’s the letter of the law, but we’re not using common sense. And I think if we’re not going to use common sense, you know, we’re gonna find that it’s going to spoil games because you can just see from fans and players’ reaction, there’s no consistency in it. And it’s causing problems.
“Games can be won, and lost, you know, in the blink of an eye. It’s a physical game. There’s going to be times where players don’t get certain things right? Just because of the nature of the game. It’s fast, it’s intense, you’re setting yourself up to stop somebody who’s 20 stone. You know, you can’t go into it lightly. You’ve gotta throw everything you’ve got into it. And sometimes, when you’ve got moving parts, sometimes you can make mistakes. And quite often you have a good idea if something’s intent or not. And if somebody clashes face to face, I mean, I don’t care how much of a nutcase you are, you are not going to just put your face in and get caught up, it’s just not what you would do.
“So we need a bit of consistency in the laws and from the referees and those that are dealing with it. But yeah, I just hope it doesn’t go too far the other way because, you know, if you go to watch a boxing match, well, somebody’s going to get punched in the face. And if you change boxing so people can only hit in the stomach, well, you’ve just ruined boxing. So nobody wants to, I’m all for player welfare, making sure players are safe, but sometimes things will happen. It’s the nature of the game, and as long as it’s not done with intent, I think it should be dealt with accordingly.”
Considered amongst the most entertaining wingers to have ever played the game, receiving approval from Robinson is high-praise indeed. Robinson went on to discuss who his favourite players in the Rugby Word Cup are outside of the England squad, and the former British & Irish Lion picked out some top names who have been taking the recent headlines.
“My favourite players to watch? I mean, start with France. Antoine Dupont is one of the best players in the world at the moment. And in a game where everybody just seems to be getting bigger and stronger, you see some of the smaller players that are able to do everything that anybody else can do and more.
“Besides, his work is great, he can put people through holes, he can create himself, great kicking game. Real sort of talisman for the French team and French rugby at the moment. So he’s one to watch. I love players like Cheslin Kolbe and (Kurt-Lee) Arendse from South Africa, just that footwork. Again, not very big players, but the speed, the pace, the balance, you know, the ability to score tries, to get stuck in as well. So, yeah, I’d say I watch those guys all day. I really enjoy watching them.
Robinson’s attention then turned to Ireland, who are amongst the favourites to win the Web Ellis Trophy come the end of October. The 49-year-old is a former teammate of Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell, as the two dual-code footballers played together for Wigan in their Rugby League days. Robinson gave his thoughts on whether today’s Ireland side can do what no side before it had achieved, and bring the Rugby World Cup home to the Emerald Isle.
“Well, they’re the number one team in the world and rightly so, they’ve had some good results over the last couple of years. They went out to New Zealand to beat them in a three test series in New Zealand, which very rarely, if ever, gets done. So I think Andy Farrell has brought a new confidence into this Irish team. There’s a lot of pressure on them because history says, in previous World Cups they haven’t done well. This is Ireland’s best chance of progressing, it’s the best chance ever. And I think he’s probably the right man to steer them in that way. He’s a young coach, as a player himself he’s had a lot of experience. He knows how to deal with the big games, the pressures, etcetera.
“And I think that’s coming through with him as a coach now. They all seem to love him. They all seem to want to play for him. And I mean, they’re in a tough group as well, South Africa, Scotland, it’s not an easy group. But they will progress. It’s just how far they can go. And they’ve certainly got the players to do it. But as you go on in this tournament, the pressure starts to mount and it’ll be interesting to see how they deal with that as a team and see how the results go.
“But yeah, I expect them to qualify and get into the quarters. And I mean, thankfully for England the draw was done years and years ago. Because it’s favoured England, and not most of the teams. I think Ireland will certainly be up there towards the end of the tournament. It’s just whether or not they can go all the way. But they’ve certainly got a good team.”
Harkening back to the glory days of 2003, Robinson scored England’s sole try in that year’s Rugby World Cup Final, before Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal made history against the Wallabies. The triumph in Sydney stands as England’s one and only Rugby World Cup title, and the only time a Northern Hemisphere side has won the competition (to date). After beating South Africa last weekend, Ireland are on track to altering this statement, with Robinson giving his best judgement as to why the tournament has historically been dominated by the Southern Hemisphere nations.
“I suppose because they regularly play with each other. It’s a higher level, you know, in the past just seeing New Zealand playing Australia, Argentina, South Africa, that’s very tough. It raises the level. We’ve seen over the years with Argentina being involved in the (Rugby) Championship, they’ve produced better performances.
“But saying that, if you look at the tournament this time round, Ireland and France have just as good chances as any of the Southern Hemisphere teams. So I don’t think we’re a million miles away at the moment. And listen, time will tell, I hope another Northern Hemisphere team wins the World Cup. It’d be great if it was Ireland, it’d be great if it was France. But I think the great thing about a World Cup tournament is we will see the best of the best play each other. And you’ll know then just how close or how far the Northern Hemisphere teams are away from the Southern Hemisphere teams.”
Speaking of France, Les Bleus are searching for their own first ever Rugby World Cup title with the added caveat of a home soil triumph. However, France entered the tournament without their first choice fly-half Romain Ntamack, and Antoine Dupont recent cheek injury puts his immediate participation in doubt. Robinson assessed the state of play for Fabien Galthie’s men, and gave his views as to whether a returning Dupont can lead his men to a maiden Rugby World Cup title.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s great because you do have the support of the nation. You know, French Rugby has been in a good place recently, and especially because of the form of the national team, it can work both ways. In 2015 it (hosting the tournament) worked against England, first team to ever go out that early (Pool stages), which was an absolute nightmare.
“So I think that’s why it was so key for France to win that first game. Because it can put you under so much pressure as a host nation if you’re not performing and not winning games. So, I think the fact that France is the host nation, I think it will help them as opposed to hinder them. I think the mood in France, the atmosphere, they sense something, there’s a lot of expectation and it’s just really whether those players can deliver under such pressures.
“But I think they’re certainly a team that can, especially with Dupont being the leader.”
Dupont currently teeters on immortality, and a swift recovery from injury would see him return to his road to ‘living legend’ status. Dupont seems poised for a comeback behind a specialist mask to protect the cheekbone injury, in what could immortalise his image as France’s superhero scrum half. Robinson knows all too well how winning the Rugby World Cup can change a career, and even more so change a life.
“(Winning the 2003 Rugby World Cup) Just unbelievable. I mean, I was lucky enough to have an amazing rugby league career, and one of the reasons I went to Rugby Union was for the international side because it was so much bigger and better organised under Woodward and everything he wanted to try and achieve and do with an England team.
“And you know, for me, being in that team and the timing, it couldn’t have been any better. What I brought to the England team, these are not my words, they’re other people’s words, I was a ‘missing piece of the jigsaw.’ England were in a good place. But I brought something just slightly different to everybody else. And as a result, we got that famous win out in Australia, in dramatic circumstances.
“It’s changed all our lives. It’s the 20th anniversary. I’ve seen the guys probably more in the last couple of months than I’ve done in the last 20 years. It’s great to see them, we did something special and we gave the nation something to be proud of. So yeah, I feel honoured to have been part of it.
“And I think that’s why you want some others to experience it because, you know, you can win all kinds of medals in your career, but there’s very few people that will ever get to play in a World Cup, nevermind win one. So yeah, it’s amazing the achievement and something that I get reminded about probably most days, where people were watching it, their views on it.
“And it’s nice when you can play a sport, something that you love, yet still have an opportunity to affect so many people.”