Clive Woodward has urged England coach Steve Borthwick to start flank Henry Pollock against Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday and pick a No 10 who can get the attack firing.
England’s 12-match winning run came to an abrupt halt with a 31-20 defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield last Saturday, ending their hopes of a first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2016.
For Woodward, the performance demanded a strong response.
“After more in-depth analysis of England’s defeat by Scotland, I’ve come to the conclusion that the performance in Edinburgh was simply not acceptable,” the 2003 World Cup-winning coach wrote in his Daily Mail column.
“Steve Borthwick’s side have to make a big statement in response and Henry Pollock is the man to be at the centre of it. I would 100% start him against Ireland.
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“Pollock has won all of his seven caps to date as a replacement, but I think England’s mantra of having their best players on the bench caught up with them at Murrayfield. Now is the time to unleash Pollock from the off.
“I want to see this England team run and Pollock is a player who can bring that to the team. I also think if he’s given the responsibility of starting a game, it will calm him down and he will thrive.”
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Woodward also urged Borthwick to make a change at flyhalf.
“It’s a big call on George Ford, but I would replace him with Fin Smith,” he said. “It’s all very well saying Ford has a great kicking game and he does. But rugby is about more than just kicking. If England only want to kick and chase then they may as well just play Aussie rules.
“I have seen so much talk about England kicking to compete and win back possession. Statistics seem to dominate that narrative. But coaching has to be about more than just numbers and there’s no doubt that tactic didn’t work at the weekend.
“I’d give Fin Smith the keys to No 10 for Ireland and tell him to get England’s attack moving.”
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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