“Were getting lost in the weeds Of who should play fly-half”

The ex-England fly-half who played for Newcastle, Leicester and Toulouse

- TOBY FLOOD

A LOT OF time has been spent asking “Who should be England fly-half?” And I understand because there are two or three types of fly-half in the current England environment.

And when Marcus Smith started against France, everyone thought it was great from coach Steve Borthwick, a massive call, drop captain Owen Farrell and all that. Actually, what it showed you is that there are massive fundamental issues within this setup.

I remember all those years ago, in 2003. And I know that’s a long time ago but that England set-up was almost desperate for rain because they knew they could win all the collisions. And I think we’re getting lost in the weeds of who should be fly-half, who should play nine. Whereas it’s a team sport which is hugely reliant on structures and processes around you. The French result and the Irish result show how much more England need to do if they are to find a way forward.