George Ford

George Ford has been England’s most technically accomplished fly-half for over a decade and has spent most of it being dropped for someone else.

The kicking game is the elite trait. Out of hand he controls territory as precisely as anyone in the northern hemisphere, and the goal-kicking has held up at moments — a World Cup pool match won single-handedly with three drop goals being the most extreme example.

He plays flat and passes early, which suits a side that wants to attack width and does not suit a side that wants a ten to carry.

That tension has defined his international career. England have oscillated between game managers and running threats, and Ford has been the answer to one question and the wrong answer to the other, sometimes in consecutive matches.

Past a hundred caps, he remains the most reliable option England have when a Test needs controlling rather than winning in the loose.