England opt for Bath star George Ford at No10 as Eddie Jones’ men go in search of another win against Australia in second Test
Owen Farrell set to replace Luther Burrell at 12 as Red Rose look to replicate thrilling first Test win in Melbourne
GEORGE FORD will be back in England’s No 10 shirt against Australia on Saturday.
The Grand Slam-winning fly-half was dumped on the bench for last week’s 39-28 First Test triumph in Brisbane.
But Ford’s 50-minute masterclass as a first-half sub convinced boss Eddie Jones to start him in the potential series decider in Melbourne.
The 23-year-old was booed off after a shocker with the boot against Wales at Twickenham last month and took some stick over Bath’s poor season.
But he admitted: “If you’re losing, people are hammering you and if you’re winning, people love you. That’s just the way it goes.
“You just try and cocoon yourself in that environment with the lads. Sometimes in your career you can’t always play to the top of your game. It was one of those years.”
Ford replaced Luther Burrell after half an hour in Brisbane, with Owen Farrell shifting to centre as England roared back from 10-0 down.
And the pair will line up at 10 and 12 from the start on Saturday as England bid to convert a 1-0 lead into a first series win Down Under.
But Ford admitted: “Australia will be desperate because they will be disappointed with the first result.
“They played some good stuff in the first 20 minutes and will want to get one back on us — but we are desperate, too.”
England’s victory in Brisbane was their first in the city and only their fourth EVER on Australian soil.
It ranks among the greatest results in Red Rose history.
But Ford insisted: “We were very happy with the win but the attention quickly turned to this week. We have another huge challenge and we know we must improve our performance to get a good result.
“We’ve made sure we’re professional in everything in terms of recovery and we spend a lot of time looking at what we could have done better. We have to make sure we don’t let the standards slip.”
That recovery programme included a dip in the ocean yesterday where the water was a chilly 11°c.
Ford’s dad Mike — the ex-Bath boss — played rugby league for South Queensland in the 1990s and has given his son a pep-talk about how to get inside the Aussie psyche.
Ford Jr added: “I was only one when he played down here so I don’t remember a lot. But he loved it.
“The standard and profile of sport in Australia brings a lot with it. They are a very competitive nation and always difficult to play against.”