LONDON : England fans wondering if Steve Borthwick has abandoned the concept of twinning Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell will have to wait beyond Sunday's match against Italy after the coach, predictably, said his big call was with only that game in mind.In the team named on Friday Farrell will start at fly
LONDON : England fans wondering if Steve Borthwick has abandoned the concept of twinning Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell will have to wait beyond Sunday's match against Italy after the coach, predictably, said his big call was with only that game in mind.
However, the pairing has never clicked in they way Farrell and his long-time friend George Ford did, their pinnacle being England's performance for the ages when they beat New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-final with Ford at 10 and Farrell a marauding 12. His best work for Harlequins comes when he has the line-busting presence of massive South African inside centre Andre Esterhuizen as his first receiver, but the slighter Farrell cannot fill that role.
"I've decided to change that combination for this week. As ever, when I pick a team, I look at the plan we want to play against a specific opposition and that's what I have explained to the players," he said.
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