Owen Farrell set to return in England No 10 shirt for World Cup quarter-final against Fiji and line-up with George Ford… and Marcus Smith could start at full-back in Marseille

Owen Farrell will return to England’s No.10 shirt for the World Cup quarter-final against Fiji in Marseille on Sunday – part of a back-row reshuffle that could see Marcus Smith start at full-back.

National coach Steve Borthwick is due to name his squad on Friday for the last-16 tie against the dangerous Pacific Islanders and Mail Sport understands captain Farrell will return to the fly-half role.

Last weekend he was part of a familiar 10-12 alliance with George Ford, but that was shelved after an outing.

At Stade Vélodrome, Farrell will act as the main playmaker, alongside a likely midfield partnership of Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant.

Personnel changes mean Ford is set to lose his place in the XV, despite his outstanding exploits in the opening tournament victory over Argentina at the same stadium last month.

On this occasion, Ford’s three dropped goals and supreme control saw England’s 14-man squad secure a fine victory against the Pumas, despite the disadvantage of an early red card for Tom Curry.

He continued to impress against Japan eight days later, but when Borthwick’s side struggled to beat Samoa 18-17 last Saturday, Ford departed with half an hour to go and is now destined in a bench role for the next match. or-die light fixture.

There is no room for two playmakers among the substitutes, but sources have told Mail Sport that England have been training with Smith at full-back – indicating he is likely to be deployed there from the start against Fiji, as he was in last month’s demolition of Chile. He could form a revised three-back unit with veterans Elliot Daly and Jonny May.

The decision to give Smith a new role was a surprising and striking element of England’s campaign here and the warm-up phase that preceded it. While the national team struggled during the month of August, their ploy to bring in the Harlequins prodigy was met with admiration and. It would be a bold statement of intent for a quarter-final – against opponents with flair and physical presence, but not the same tactical threat underfoot as other leading nations.