The race for the England 10 jumper

The race for the England 10 jumper

With Eddie Jones not closing the door on Danny Cipriani it is clear that there is a 3 horse race between Ford, Farrell and Cipriani leading up to the World Cup to secure the starting jumper.

With the November Internationals, 6 Nations, RWC Warm Up's and the RWC Tournament itself, it is important to be able to manage players but many feel that the first choice number 10 has not been locked in yet. 

We take a look at the 3 players and their performance this weekend in round one of the Premiership.

The Regular - George Ford:


Leicester Tigers got their season off to a rocky start and there are clearly some issues back of the house with them sacking Matt O'Connor but Ford didn't manage to get the game rolling against Exeter. 5 of his 18 tackles were missed which is a huge concern for any coach. The 67% kicking success is a bit deceptive with 1 miss from 3 kicks where last season in the Premiership he converted close on 80% of his place kicks.

Mr Consistent - Owen Farrell:


Owen Farrell looks set to be in England starting line up no matter what, and understandably so considering his skill set and experience, the question is will he be playing at 10 or 12? Saracens earned a tough win away at Newcastle this weekend with Farrell performing acrross all facets of play on the day. A solid defender, accurate kicker and playmaker no matter what number he wears.

The Comeback Kid - Danny Cipriani:

Cipriani has had a rollercoaster career but there is one message he has consistently made public, he wants to be back in the England set up. His form last season for Wasps earned him a recall and he turned down a few lucrative deals abroad to stay in the Premiership and stay in the RWC conversation. With 3 from 8 tackles on the day in a good win over Northampton, Cipriani was not required to kick at goal with Billy Twelvetrees taking that responsibility. Last season in the Premiership he kicked 76% of his kicks making 80% of his tackles. What he does bring to the fold though is great vision and skill.



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