by At some point on Saturday evening England supporters will have something to celebrate but the game will be against Ireland at Twickenham when Danny Care is brought on from the bench to win his 100th cap.
It will be an emotional moment. The 37-year-old is one of Steve Borthwick’s most popular members, and despite making his debut against New Zealand 16 years ago, has infectious enthusiasm and unbridled passion for rugby and his country.
The Harlequins half-back joins Ben Youngs, Jason Leonard, Owen Farrell, Dan Cole and Courtney Lawes as the only Englishmen to win 100 Test caps. It is an exclusive club but one that differs from many other leading nations including New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Ireland, who have more centurions and many others who have been hailed as legends on the stage. deep
In contrast, both Youngs and Farrell have attracted criticism from England supporters over the years, while Cole was stuck on 95 caps over three years before the 36-year-old made a stunning return to the international stage last year by Steve Borthwick.
Care There was also getting there the hard way, with his international career ending twice like former England head coach Eddie Jones and 56 of his 99 caps from the bench. That should not detract from his achievement but it reflects a wider theme that consistency in England selection has never been a strong point.
This brings us to George Ford, the next England men’s player on the scene – he will win his 95th cap against Ireland – and another player whose career has suffered from the ‘tinkerman’ of English rugby. .
Ford still holds the record for the youngest player to make his professional debut for England at 16 years and 237 days. 10 I have never seen”.
But for most of his career he has worked in the shadow of his old schoolmate Farrell, as a 10/12 partnership or lost his place when the former England captain moved to half-back, as happened during the Cup the World in France, despite. almost single-handedly inspiring the 14-man victory over Argentina.
Like Care, Jones too had almost finished his international career, having been left out of the national squad for the 2021 Autumn Test as part of what the head coach called his ‘new England project’, but only with for Australia. make another U-turn afterwards.
When Farrell made his decision to retire from international rugby following the World Cup in France, he felt the time had come to free Ford, not only to enjoy a sustained spell in the half but also to stamp own authority. and shaping England’s attack around his footballing ability and vision. The Sale Sharks midfielder may be a veteran of three World Cup campaigns, but at the age of 30, a fourth campaign in Australia in 2027 looked a realistic goal.
But again it feels like Ford has passed another acid test.
England’s attack has fizzled through the first three rounds of the Guinness Six Nations Championship and while Ford’s kicking masterclass was key to victory over Wales at Twickenham, he is yet to deliver an all-court performance on the way he can.
Will Carling, the former England captain, argued in these pages that England’s ambitions were stuck in a “straitjacket of data”, a notion rejected by the camp, with Scotland’s defeat down to a high number of unnecessary errors and turnovers. .
What is certain, however, is that Ford’s offensive genius is most effective when he takes the ball to the line; while implementing a kicking strategy during this campaign, he fell too deep too often.
With Marcus Smith back on the bench after recovering from injury, and Fin Smith’s meteoric rise for Northampton Saints this season, Ford is already looking over his shoulder again.
The inclusion of five Harlequins on the bench at Twickenham suggests that England are planning to bring Marcus Smith off the bench, bolstered by the familiarity of the club’s key players – Care, Alex Dombrandt and Chandler Cunningham-South, and Ollie Lawrence probably filled. the role played by powerhouse 12 Stoop, André Esterhuizen.
There was a time when some England supporters were clamoring for Ford to start when Farrell had an off day, he needs to stop calling for either of the Smiths to be brought to bed at half-start to attack the intent of the side to promote.
And there’s no bigger platform to do that than visiting doubles side Andy Farrell in pursuit of a Grand Slam.
As a youngster, Ford used to attend Ireland training sessions and kick balls back for David Humphreys and Ronan O’Gara, when his father Mike was their defense coach in the early 2000s.
Ford Junior also owned an Ireland jersey before he had an England one, a gift from investigator Peter Stringer when his father brought it into the Ireland dressing room after a game against England at Twickenham. Childhood memories that stayed with him.
Ford knows more than most what makes Irish sides tick, and he will also know the importance of his game if he is to prove the doubters wrong.
One constant since he made his England debut in March 2014 has been his first-team attitude. If it is to be seventh century England, one feels that this is a game that must be about him.
