Clive Woodward says England will be confident of victory against the Springboks in their World Cup semi-final on Saturday, especially with flyhalf Owen Farrell calling the shots.
Writing for the UK’s Daily Mail, Woodward praises England’s decision to play Farrell at No 10 in their quarter-final against Fiji on Sunday, emphasising that it was the right choice and helped the Roses secure the win.
The former England boss believes that Farrell cannot play at inside centre, and commends head coach Steve Borthwick for rectifying his previous mistake of playing Farrell at 12.
He also believes that last week’s match was Borthwick’s best day in the England job, primarily due to the decision to select Farrell at pivot.
Woodward hails England’s physicality and overall performance against Fiji, and underscores the importance of points from the boot in knockout rugby after Farrell delivered with a drop goal and penalty when the English were under pressure.
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“Sunday was a fantastic day for English rugby, a fantastic day for Steve Borthwick and proved England should have no fears from South Africa when they face them in Paris on Saturday night,” he writes.
“If there is one lesson from the game in Marseille on Sunday it is that he [Farrell] plays flyhalf or nowhere.
“The way his [Borthwick’s] team played, the way he did not bottle making changes from the game against Samoa and the big fix was Farrell being at 10.
“It was a big call with which many people did not agree. But that was why England won and Farrell was deservedly Man of the Match for the way he led the team.”
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