"Brilliant" - George Ford Weighs In On England Fly-Half Debate

George Ford, Marcus Smith, Fin Smith, and Owen Farrell—who has recently returned to Saracens from Racing 92—are all available for selection ahead of matches against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina.

Ford has been a mainstay in the England setup for more than a decade, and he is relishing the opportunity to compete alongside such a talented group. Speaking about the squad, Ford said: “I think the squad is incredibly talented, the quality in it is right up there with any England squad I’ve been a part of in the last 11 or 12 years.

"As a player, when you’re in a squad like that and you go into camp, you’re training every day and competing every day with these unbelievable players, and that is genuinely how you improve and grow.”

The England fly-half department has rarely been this deep, Ford added. “Probably not in the time I’ve been involved with England. There was obviously myself, Owen, and then a few others who were in and out of the squad at that time.

"But it’s brilliant. It’s where you want to be in terms of squad depth, the competition that’s going to be created in training, and the different things that each of us brings. Fin, Marcus, and Owen have all been brilliant in terms of that.”

While the competition is fierce, Ford is quick to stress that it is the team’s success, not individual selection, that comes first. “There’s a lot spoken about competition for places, and you need that, but the most important thing is England winning. It is not who is selected and who isn’t in the matchday 23, it’s whether England win at the weekend.

"Whatever your role is, within that, you’ve got to do your job as well as you can to make sure England wins more games than not. We all want to be part of a winning England team and we all want to contribute in whatever way, and we will always push ourselves and put our best foot forward when playing games. But if that isn’t the case, then the most important thing is England winning, so do your job if you’re not involved.”

Ford also reflected on the unmatched feeling of winning with England. “When you’re part of a winning England team at Twickenham, or at World Cups, there’s no better feeling,” he said.

Despite speculation around who will take the starting number 10 shirt, Ford remained grounded about his own chances. “I never do (think he's No.1). Selection is so subjective—that’s why Steve is the head coach, because he picks the team he thinks is going to win at the weekend. For me, that’s a bit out of my control right now because my focus is playing as well as I can for Sale.”

England coach Steve Borthwick is likely to be thrilled with the depth in the fly-half position. Having four world-class options allows him flexibility in game plans while also driving competition in training, something Ford believes benefits the team as a whole.

“I’d imagine Steve’s quite happy to have four options like that, but the key thing for us four is that we compete hard, but the main thing is that we make the team win at the weekend."