Superfan Borthwick unlikely to ditch Farrell for England-Fiji clash

MARSEILLE, France : Anyone wondering if England's Steve Borthwick might think the answer to their attacking woes against Samoa is to drop Owen Farrell for this weekend's quarter-final with Fiji should note the coach's assessment of his captain after Saturday's game.

Farrell started at inside centre then switched to flyhalf when George Ford was taken off early in the second half but was far from his best, as were most of his team in an error-strewn display that needed Danny Care's late try to scrape an 18-17 win.

Borthwick now needs to decide whether to continue on Sunday with the Ford-Farrell 10/12 axis which was so good at the last World Cup but was in action for the first time since the 2012 Six Nations against the Samoans.

If he feels it is not the answer for Fiji, the question is whether to revert to Ford at 10, the set-up for the first two games where he produced man of the match performances while Farrell was suspended, or drop him and start Farrell in his preferred position.

Borthwick has stood four-square behind Farrell since the day he got the job and, though he dropped him to the bench for the 2021 France Six Nations game to give Marcus Smith an opportunity, he soon had him back on board as first choice 10.

On Saturday, in recognition of Farrell overtaking Jonny Wilkinson to become England's leading points scorer, Borthwick said: "It's testament to a man who's dedicated himself to being the best he can be, the best player he can be, the best leader he can be, the best person around the squad.

"I think he's an incredible role model. It's a privilege for me as a coach to be able to work with him and hopefully there'll be many more times in that England shirt and (he'll) continue to play as well as he does."

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