MIKE BROWN: Just because Owen Farrell is captain he doesn’t have a divine right to be in the team when he returns from his ban; George Ford should be rewarded for consistency

We had a good laugh with my Leicester teammate Handre Pollard after our game against Sale on Friday evening. It looks like he will go from warming the bench in the Premiership Cup to playing for the Springboks in the World Cup.

The boys asked him if he had booked his flight to France, and if he had practiced his lineout throwing for when they called him up as an injury replacement for Malcolm Marx. We didn’t get much response from him!

He has been out for a while due to injury, but came through for 30 minutes in the second half and has all the experience he needs to fit straight back into the South African line-up. Manie Libbok is a brilliant X-factor No.10 for them, but they will need a lethal goalkeeper in the knockout stages.

I think he will probably be on the bench for them as it is bad for morale to drop players from a winning team – and the same goes for England when Owen Farrell returns from suspension.

You have to reward players. If England do well against Japan on Sunday, reward them for consistency. This is how you gain confidence and momentum. George Ford earned it. Just because Farrell is captain doesn’t give him a divine right to be on the team.

George Ford has earned his place on the team and thrived in the role of quarterback

Ford thrived in the role of quarterback. He feels comfortable as a captain and does not need anyone to tell him what to do. Farrell is a big personality. He wants to do things a certain way, but Ford can do it alone.

Some of the best games I played for England were when only Ford was in the team. He has a great talent for drawing defenders towards him, pulling them out of the line and putting people in gaps.

Farrell’s absence has allowed Ford to thrive as the main man