England fly-half George Ford has disclosed his ideal back line lineup, which notably excludes his childhood friend Owen Farrell.
Ford and Farrell, who grew up as neighbours and progressed through the England youth system together, formed a formidable 10-12 axis for the England senior team on over 40 occasions.
However, currently, they do not share the field internationally as Farrell has opted for a break from international duty.
When asked by a fan, on a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) with England rugby, who his dream back line would be, he replied: “Jason Robinson on one wing. Mark Cueto on the other wing – a great player who also gives a good left foot option.
“Centre-wise, I would always choose Manu (Tuilagi). I know he’s still here, but he’s been here in the past too. Matthew Tait in his prime playing for England as the other option. His skillset and the way he broke the line was amazing.”
The 5 Best Fly-Halves In Rugby History, Listed And Ranked
Here we pick our top five best fly-halves of all time. We’ve used a number of stats to quantify our rankings, as well as a player’s overall contribution to the game. So who makes it into our top five?
The heartbeat of the side and arguably the most influential player on the pitch. Almost every attack will go through the fly-half, who also has the responsibility of deciding when to pass the ball out to the centres and when to kick for position.
A number 10 must orchestrate the team’s back line, deciding what rehearsed moves to put into action and reacting to gaps in defence. The fly-half also has to be able to relieve territorial pressure by kicking down the field into touch, and is often the team’s designated placekicker for conversions, penalties and drop goal attempts.
In defence, he or she will marshal the backs to ensure each opposition player is covered, and a strong-tackling stand off can snuff out opposition attacks before they start.
All stats come from ESPN.com and are correct as of the publish date.
5 Best Fly-Halves Of All Time
#5. Jonathan Davies (Wales)
Cross-code star Jiffy made up for his lack of height, standing 5ft 8in, with great pace, great acceleration and natural quality.
The fly-half would have made a lot more appearances for Wales if he had not switched to Rugby League between 1989 and 1995.
During his two periods in Union, he made a total 37 appearances for Wales and is considered one of Wales’s finest ever rugby talents.
Did you know? Davies has since become a television rugby football commentator and media personality, in both the Welsh and English languages.
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