OPINION – Their ‘simultaneous’ careers in rugby date back as far as their school days playing rugby league together but in the current rugby climate they’re fierce rivals both competing for the privilege of wearing England’s illustrious number ten shirt for this year’s World Cup. It’s been a long journey for both young superstars but when you weigh up their accolades and current form, who really does deserve to claim the fly half position for England?
Much like Johnny Wilkinson at a young age, both Farrell and Ford possess wisdom far past their years – a stand-out trait that was noticed by England’s U.18 head coach John Fletcher when the boys were aged 16 and 15 respectively.
“What stood out with them was not just their skills but their attitude. They were far beyond their years from an emotional and cognitive point of view. Mentally, they were both so strong.”
In terms of their mental strength there’s no denying that both players are where they need to be. So where are the obvious differences in their game?
It’s simple, Farrell is more brawn, Ford is more brains; I don’t mean to say that Farrell is a lumbering neanderthal by any means but Ford possesses a far slicker, ‘assassin-esque style’ of rugby – whereas Farrell relies on his greater physical presence to open up gaps in defence. Their ball distribution and kicking ability from the spot and out of hand, I would say, is relatively on par. But Ford just seems to have a style that automatically puts England on the front foot no matter where they are on the pitch and that’s what makes him so effective and why he is one of our best.
If we look back to the end of the Six Nations in 2014 where Owen Farrell played a prominent role in guiding England to winning their four remaining fixtures having lost their opening one to France, Farrell’s name would have been first on the team sheet for the Rugby World Cup along with the captain Chris Robshaw.
Along with representing the Lions in the summer of 2013, Farrell’s position heading into the 2014 Autumn Internationals should have been guaranteed, and seemingly was when he started against both the All Blacks and Springboks. But the consecutive losses to New Zealand and South Africa respectively gave George Ford the opportunity to start at ten against Samoa and he’s never looked back. Ford’s start against Australia and consequent win followed by Farrell’s injury in late January resulting in him missing the entire 2015 Six Nations, laid the foundations for Ford to be the catalyst for a new style of attacking English rugby and he duly obliged.
While England didn’t win the 2015 6 Nations, the campaign was seen as a definite success, particularly for George Ford who demonstrated his all-round talent and nerve in an environment where he could have easily perished and succumbed to the huge pressure of being England’s number ten. If there was ever a right time for George Ford to step up and confirm his place in the England team, a Rugby World Cup year would fit the bill just fine.
There’s always the possibility that Owen Farrell and George Ford could line up together in the World Cup, a partnership that goes back a long time but I just can’t see it happening. The array of attacking talent that England have acquired at both inside and outside centre nullify any chance of this, especially when England look to continue their attack driven style of rugby they demonstrated and excelled with during the Six Nations. George Ford is the man to take England forward into the World Cup and I know he will do us proud.