Having three different midfield combinations in four World Cup matches does not cry out cohesiveness and continuity from England.
Owen Farrell’s ban for the first two matches of the tournament has made these unique circumstances, but England’s 10-12-13 trio was hardly regarded as the paragon of consistency leading into the World Cup.
Strangely, England actually opted for their most experienced combination against Samoa at the weekend of George Ford, Farrell and Manu Tuilagi. That triumvirate have played almost 50 Tests together, but it was the first time they had got the old band back together under Steve Borthwick, and it showed in a stuttering display. There were flashes of fluidity, but they were fleeting as England faltered to an 18-17 victory.
The problem for Borthwick is that he is surely none the wiser as to what his best midfield combination should be, but it does leave room for debate among fans and pundits. Retired internationals Bernard Jackman and Jamie Roberts, and Fiji scrum-half Niko Matawalu discussed how England should set-up against Fiji in the quarter-finals in Marseille on Sunday on the Official Rugby World Cup podcast this week, and there is a split in opinion.
Matawalu predicts England to go unchanged against his compatriots, saying: “I think George Ford at 10, 12 I put Owen Farrell and 13 [Manu] Tuilagi. To go physical against Fiji, if they want to win this quarter-final they need a good kicking game and they both have a good kicking game, Farrell and Ford. The physical you have Tuilagi on the side there.”
Roberts conversely thinks England will shift Farrell to fly-half, while Jackman agrees with Matawalu. The Irishman said that the concern is that England are still unsure heading into a World Cup knockout match.
“I think 12 has become the key position,” he said. “If you look at it, Bundee Aki for Ireland, having the ability to be direct and punch holes and get through the defence.
“I think if England go Ford, Farrell and Tuilagi as 13 that is a compromise. 43 games together in that axis and they are still not sure at the quarter-final stage.”
The greatest concern for England is that this is a department of a team that should not be tinkered with at a World Cup, according to former Australia prop turned analyst Ben Darwin.
The Australian is the co-founder of GAIN LINE Analytics, and explained on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod in 2021 that the 10-12-13 axis is one that must not be subject to experimentation during a World Cup.
“One of the things we find, that is basically suicide, is never introduce a centre in World Cups,” the 28-cap former Wallaby said.
“Because 10-12-13 is where the most level of understanding is required and you need people playing in position. That has a really positive impact on performance.
“It just seems to be an absolute death knell because there’s a law of diminishing returns.
“It’s the early stages where the problems lie. So whenever you get relationships in early stages is when you get things going catastrophically wrong, and we see that across so many different sports.
While England are not necessarily introducing someone new into the midfield -the options they have at their disposal all have a fair degree of experience with some having a vast amount- they are at the “early stage” of their relationship together.
Of course, Ford-Farrell-Tuilagi are a settled midfield, but they are not under this coaching team and if Saturday is anything to go by, there did not seem to be a great level of understanding between them.
England go into the quarter-finals with their midfield selection still up for debate, and it is certain that there will not be unanimity among the England fandom as to who should start against Fiji. Perhaps South Africa are the only team that find themselves in that position due to recent call-ups to the squad, and that will be a cause for concern for Borthwick.
