Ford dropped from England squad to face France as Borthwick opts for Smith

George Ford has been dropped from England’s squad to face France on Saturday, ensuring Marcus Smith will feature against Les Bleus. Steve Borthwick named both, as well as captain Owen Farrell, in his wider squad on Sunday but has released the Sale fly-half as part of a wider cut.

Courtney Lawes has also been released after sustaining a shoulder injury. The England vice-captain has endured a rotten time with injuries, having had neck, glute and calf problems before making his first international appearance of the season against Wales. His comeback has proved short-lived, however.

Borthwick’s decision to stick by Smith comes after his man of the match performance for Harlequins against Exeter at Twickenham last Saturday. The head coach had dropped Smith from last week’s training camp in Brighton in order to give the 24-year-old more game time after late substitute appearances in the victories over Italy and Wales.

Borthwick must now decide whether Smith remains on the bench or slots in at fly-half with the captain Owen Farrell moving to inside-centre, as was the case in his first match in charge against Scotland. The alternative is for Smith to continue on the bench.

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Elsewhere, Max Malins is retained after struggling with an ankle injury last time out, as is Jack Willis, who returned to the camp late having played 30 minutes for Toulouse on Sunday night. Manu Tuilagi is part of the 27-man squad despite the fact he remains suspended and cannot appear against France.