Fly-half’s week disrupted by aftermath of red cardCourtney Lawes takes over as England captain
George Ford has been named to start at fly-half for England against Ireland on Saturday for the first time since March 2021 with Steve Borthwick revealing Owen Farrell has been left out because of the disruption endured this week. The head coach has opted to stand down his captain, whose availability to lead England at the World Cup remains in jeopardy after World Rugby appealed against the decision to rescind his ban. Courtney Lawes assumes the captaincy in Farrell’s absence.
Farrell missed England’s training session on Tuesday and the expectation is that the match will count towards any ban he receives at the appeal hearing. “In my original planning and as part of our Rugby World Cup preparation, Owen Farrell was due to be selected to play in this Saturday’s Test match in Dublin,” said Borthwick.
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