Lancaster insists Farrell at 10 is not a panic move
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Lancaster insists Farrell at 10 is not a panic move
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has said that bringing back Owen Farrell at fly-half is not a panic move.
Jonathan Joseph’s injury at outside centre has forced England into reshuffling their backline, with Farrell and Sam Burgess coming in at fly-half and inside centre.
Ford’s removal has been seen as a surprise decision from the England boss but Lancaster explained his thinking on Thursday.
"This is definitely not panic. We are very fortunate to have two high-quality players in this position [in Ford and Farrell]," he said.
"We believe that the team that is picked will give us the best chance of getting a foothold in the game.
"We are confident of Owen's ability to come on and do well. George will play a different role from the bench. He was obviously disappointed.”
Jonathan Joseph’s injury at outside centre has forced England into reshuffling their backline, with Farrell and Sam Burgess coming in at fly-half and inside centre.
Ford’s removal has been seen as a surprise decision from the England boss but Lancaster explained his thinking on Thursday.
"This is definitely not panic. We are very fortunate to have two high-quality players in this position [in Ford and Farrell]," he said.
"We believe that the team that is picked will give us the best chance of getting a foothold in the game.
"We are confident of Owen's ability to come on and do well. George will play a different role from the bench. He was obviously disappointed.”
