Why the Ford-Farrell axis was England's best 10-12 combination over the past four years
It has been a remarkable and eventful four years for England since Eddie Jones took over in late 2015. They had reached a nadir in the professional ere before he arrived, failing to make it out of their pool at the World Cup on home soil.
After a brilliant showing with Japan in that tournament, Jones was given the task of resurrecting a country damaged on a scale not previously experienced. The new head coach started brilliantly, guiding his new team to a Grand Slam, a series whitewash in Australia and a record-equaling 18-match winning streak.
The run of results came to an end in 2017 when losing to Ireland, but there was still a second successive Six Nations title collected. A humbling 2018, where England only won six of their twelve matches, was a slump in the Australian’s tenure and his job was in jeopardy. But the following year saw a change of fortunes as England reached the recent World Cup final.
Certain intricacies define a turbulent four years. One of the primary changes Jones made was reintroducing Dylan Hartley to Test rugby and installing him as his captain. However, the most defining decision was perhaps moulding Owen Farrell as an inside centre and creating the much-discussed axis with George Ford at fly-half.
The notion of having two ball-playing fly-halves in the backline was something that Jones wanted, and Ford and Farrell complemented one another very well. Ford provided world-class distribution and attacking guile, while Farrell provided metronomic place-kicking, defensive strength and organisation. This was a unison and friendship that had dated back to their teenage years, as well as their time playing together for England under-20s.
(Continue reading below…)
These two started 28 of England’s 50 Test games since the 2015 RWC, winning 79 per cent (W39 D1 L10) of their games. Only four other 10-12 combinations were used more than once. Farrell reverted back to fly-half to partner Manu Tuilagi on five occasions, winning three, losing one and drawing one. Ben Te’o also played alongside the England captain five times, winning four (80 per cent).
Ford, meanwhile, linked up with Piers Francis four times, winning three (75 per cent), and Alex Lozowski three times, winning all matches. Five other combinations were used just once, with a victory in every match. These saw Ford partner Luther Burrell and Henry Slade, Farrell partner Burrell and Francis, and Danny Cipriani partner Farrell. The Gloucester fly-half was the only other player to start at No10 during the Jones era, his inclusion coming in the third Test of the South African tour in 2018.
When looking at these figures, the Ford-Farrell combination was the second most successful of all that played over one game. While they are bettered by Ford’s link with Lozowski, those matches were against Argentina, Samoa and Japan. However, once again these stats only tell half the story as Jones’ term so far can be divided into individual segments: the success in 2016 and 2017, the slump in 2018 (chiefly the Six Nations that year), and a resurgence in late 2018 and 2019.
A XV of players that had more than their fair share of bad luck; from careers cut short to selection injustices – and one player with nearly 100 caps
*England's Unluckiest XV 🥀https://t.co/f2hyPrAcd4
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 9, 2019
The disastrous Six Nations campaign in 2018 could be seen as a watershed moment, whereby Jones abandoned the philosophy that had served him well and temporarily laid to rest the Ford-Farrell axis. After losing to both Scotland and France, Jones decided to alter his 10-12 combination, dropping Ford to the bench and deploying Farrell at 10 and Te’o at 12. Up until this point, Ford had started 26 of England’s 27 matches post-2015, having sat on the bench in the first Test of the series in Australia in 2016.
Before the campaign-ending Ireland match, Ford and Farrell had lined up alongside one another in 21 of 27 matches, winning 18 (86 per cent). Furthermore, during 2016 and 2017, they had started 17 of 23 matches, only losing one (94 per cent). This would have probably been higher, but Farrell was absent with the British and Irish Lions in 2017 and was subsequently rested for some games in the following autumn.
However, despite winning two matches, England had looked slow and impotent during the first four matches of the 2018 Six Nations. In a team that was struggling to gain any ascendency or front-foot ball, it was pointless to play with two playmakers, and the Ireland game signified the beginning of an approach by Jones to play a confrontational 12 to gain momentum. England did lose that Twickenham game, but it was a fork in the road where the national team’s set-up changed markedly.
The Australian is still hugely popular among England fans. #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/E85YdVawZ2
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 4, 2019
Jones opted to revert back to playing with two fly-halves for the 2018 tour of South Africa, but the first and second Tests would be the final time Ford and Farrell started together for over a year. Cipriani came in for the third Test and despite earning the win, didn’t feature again.
For the following autumn, Jones almost exclusively used a ball-carrying inside centre. Farrell and Te’o played against South Africa, the All Blacks and Australia, but the former league star was replaced by Tuilagi in the Six Nations (except for the match against Italy) and it seemed to strike a chord, particularly with Slade at outside centre, who can equally play fly-half.
This Farrell-Tuilagi option looked to be the one for England heading towards the RWC and while they did lose to Wales and draw to Scotland in 2019’s Six Nations, the display against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium seemed to cement their places in the team.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup has been a triumph for World Rugby and the people of Japan
– @alexshawsport has put together a XV of the tournament 🏆🌏https://t.co/NpJNSM6lzQ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 3, 2019
However, it was only in an RWC warm-up match against Ireland in August 2019 that Jones decided to reprise his favoured partnership of the Leicester Tigers fly-half and the Saracen. Behind a pack that had the dynamism of Tom Curry, Maro Itjoe and Sam Underhill and the brute strength of the Billy Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler, the once-neglected tandem thrived and England won 57-15 in ruthless fashion.
This did not necessarily mark a total return for Jones’ iconic duo, but it gave him options and the luxury of picking his team based on the opponents. The Ford-Farrell combination looked to be the first choice in Japan, although Francis was brought in at 12 against the USA. However, to counter the rampant Samu Kerevi, Jones utilised the defensively resolute Farrell-Tuilagi partnership in the quarter-final against Australia, bringing Ford back for the semi-final against the All Blacks and final versus the Springboks.
The very fact that Jones still rues the decision not to change this axis for a belligerent South African team shows how far England had come during his time at the helm. Such versatility was never really an option in the first two-and-a-half years of his tenure, and the irony is that it was his abundance of resources that was his undoing in the loss to Rassie Erasmus’ side, as he has admitted he may have made the wrong choice.
Positive words coming out of the English camp! 💮 pic.twitter.com/5UEqGmxmRP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 3, 2019
He can be forgiven, particularly after such a sublime performance against the All Blacks, but the question will always remain whether this was Jones’ decision all along to eventually arrive back at the Ford-Farrell connection. It is hard to believe that it was during a torrid 2018 where England looked to have grown stale in a number of departments.
It must be noted, though, that Billy Vunipola only played 120 minutes of rugby across two Tests in 2018 – the two losses in South Africa (although he was still returning to fitness). The No8 is so crucial to England making ground and playing on the front-foot, hence why he played all 15 Tests in 2019. The stats are ostensibly clear that in his absence his team struggles.
Behind a retreating pack, it made sense that a more physical presence was needed in the 12 shirt. However, Billy’s return to fitness in 2019, as well as some tweaks to the pack, provided the platform for the Ford-Farrell combination to reign supreme again.
Maro Itoje identifies the reason for England's 20-point loss to the Springbokshttps://t.co/Iod9Kmhc0x
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 2, 2019
To have a player injured for so long was never part of the plan, but Jones had always emphasised that his goal was for England to peak in Japan, which would have been every coach’s objective, so the four years prior would have been a case of trialling out every possible option he had.
That is perhaps why 2016 saw Ford and Farrell start together in eleven matches, six times in 2017, and five times in both 2018 and 2019. These decisions may have been mitigated by results, but Jones may have also wanted to experiment with different ideas.
After two years of implementing what he thought was going to be successful, he had another two to test out alternatives. Although it did seem like he had forsaken his preferred 10-12 axis at one point, it would have always remained at the back of his mind.
When looking back at the past four years, the Ford-Farrell combination has to be regarded as the most successful as they played and won more games than all the other partnerships combined. Although some others had a higher winning percentage, that is a misnomer due to the standard of the opposition. But it was not plain sailing for Ford and Farrell – or England as a whole – and after years of ebb and flow, it was only at the RWC that it was conclusively proven to be the best option.
WATCH: RugbyPass looks back on some of our favourite moments with the fans from the 2019 World Cup in Japan
Comments on RugbyPass
It is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
16 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
218 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
218 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
9 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
44 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
16 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
44 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to commentsThe Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
5 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
218 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
218 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
44 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments