Rugby

I think the Ford-Farrell combination is perfect when you are going to be on the front foot against 'lesser' teams. Ford plays very flat and aggressively bringing the ball to the line and it creates space outside him, which he's very good at exploiting. BUT, in his England career he has tended to go missing/have poor games against the very best teams. This is quite possibly because in the toughest games the pack don't have dominance and he doesn't have that same service/time to play with. But there seems to be a feeling (and this may well be hugely unfair) that he doesn't quite have the bottle (or his game doesn't fit) for the biggest and toughest occasion. We know Farrell thrives in these situations. His defence, as you note, is an advantage for sure. I think Ford is also an excellent bench option if you're chasing a game with 20 to go! Also, it should be said, bringing in Slade for Ford is hardly bringing in Brad Barritt or Shontayne Hape - this midfield has everything, gas, kicking, distributing and massive physical impact. Plus excellent defence. JJ can probably consider himself unlucky and I am slightly concerned about Slade's fitness, but the coaches will have seen enough in camp to know whether he's OK or not... and he will be great from the bench whether chasing or protecting because his wider channel defence is exceptional.