WORLD OF RUGBY: Steve Borthwick must use Owen Farrell's departure to fix England's central deficit – striking the right balance with a new midfield alliance key to their Six Nations hopes

The removal of Owen Farrell from the England squad increases the need for Steve Borthwick to sort out the midfield imbroglio that has hampered the national team for so long.

The choice of the number 10 reliever is only part of the story and the head coach is more likely to choose George Ford than Marcus Smith. Control and pragmatism will remain the foundations of the regime. But with the Six Nations starting in less than four weeks, the entire core of England's backline is in a state of flux and uncertainty.

At the recent World Cup, the central combination for five of the national team's seven matches was Manu Tuilagi at the age of 12 and Joe Marchant alongside him. Now Tuilagi is recovering from yet another groin injury of his career, with an uncertain return date, and Marchant is unavailable while he plays for Stade Francais in Paris. There is no prospect of this flawed policy changing any time soon.

So England need a new midfield alliance and, crucially, Borthwick will not be tempted to switch to the old fallback option of the two-playmaker model, with Ford at ten and Farrell in the centre, as the square peg in the middle. a round hole. He then came back against Samoa in Lille and England almost came undone.

Two bona fide centers will be located next to each other. Balance is key, with strength and pace, distribution and kicking power – not to mention defensive reliability – forming the broad repertoire to be fulfilled by the pair.

Borthwick need to find a new midfield alliance that will bring balance to the team

Borthwick should focus on the here-and-now task of launching a decent Championship campaign for the first time since 2020, which means rewarding form. That in turn means Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade. There are plenty of complementary attributes between them. Lawrence can punch holes, but also make breaks from the outside. Slade can kick and pass. In addition, he is very experienced and motivated. They can tackle both. They both absolutely fly.

England cannot function as an attacking force if they are not fluent in midfield, and it has often been a disjointed area for them for far too long. They can't just bash, they have to run too. Therefore, it makes sense to have the electric Will Joseph ready to be unleashed from the bench, with Lawrence or Slade able to partner him late in the game against a tiring defense. game.

Expect Ford to start at 10th, while Alex Mitchell will continue at scrum-half given his excellent performances of late. Lawrence and Slade together in midfield, Freddie Steward as wing-back, so those remain the wings. It's time to be brave and, again, guided by form. Tommy Freeman on one side and Joe Cokanasiga on the other. And after Wales were beaten by Immanual Feyi-Waboso, England should have him in mind for a debut in the near future. There must be room for the X factor. Always.

It seems likely that George Ford will be deployed in the number ten position for England

Northampton show why they are title contenders

So we now know for sure that Northampton have enormous resilience in the face of adversity to match all that flair – marking them out as genuine Premier League title contenders. They are still top of the league and deserve to be after climbing out of a huge hole at Sandy Park. It's quite an achievement to take victory at the death, away from home, after trailing 26-0 with almost half an hour to go. It signals a formidable spirit and belief, as a resounding show of support for the Saints' young director of rugby, Phil Dowson, and Sam Vesty, who have turned them into an attacking threat. The Premiership hangs its hat on fine brims and the table is full of them.

The race for the title is wide open, now that Sale, the early pioneers, have been put behind. Leicester and Bristol are on the rise, Exeter's new signings are right in the mix and Bath are flying. And don't give Saracens holders a discount yet. The past few weeks have brought a large crowd, exciting competitions and plenty of entertainment. But with only one more round of Premier League fixtures before the end of March, let's hope the positive momentum can be regained then.

Title candidate Northampton has shown that it has a lot of resilience and flair

England's signing of Andrew Strawbridge is a smart move

This column has never subscribed to the theory that a Kiwi accent automatically guarantees rugby wisdom relevant around these parts, but Steve Borthwick appears to have made a smart move by bringing in Andrew Strawbridge as an advisor.

At the recent World Cup he was part of the All Blacks line-up – focusing on their skills and contact area – and they topped the charts for most tournament tries, off-loads and clean breaks. His job will be to help England win a fast ball and use it smartly. These are priority issues – and have been for some time. New Zealand don't like to lose any 'intellectual property', so what England should do is keep Strawbridge at least until the end of this season so he can join them on tour at home. It would provide essential insight and also act as a glorious wind-up.

In the meantime, it is a great shame that that tour will mark the end of Kevin Sinfield's time with the national team. An inspirational figure is marginalized and lost, amid yet more management turmoil.

Hiring Andrew Strawbridge as an advisor seems to be a smart move on England's part

Clubs are becoming aware of the importance of behind-the-scenes content

Clubs are only belatedly realizing the potential to generate online interest with varied behind-the-scenes content. Many are now posting images of party songs and that is a good insight into team spirit. The sight of players jumping around in their underpants may not be to everyone's taste, but all this access educates fans about the teams they follow and what makes them tick.

Even in this age of endless science and analysis, much of rugby is about emotion and shared bonds, which are perfectly emphasized in the post-match songs. Any club that doesn't have one should come up with one right away. And all the other clubs concerned about swearing, figure out a few strategic beeps and let's see the players in full voice.

LAST WORD

Shocking news… drumroll… the Lions will unveil Andy Farrell as head coach this week. Sorry to spoil the non-surprise. He's the obvious choice and the right one. Put aside the sadness of the World Cup at the end of last year: Farrell snr has done an excellent job with Ireland and deserves to take charge of the mission Down Under in 2025. Then there will be speculation about his assistants, and then about the others important position; voyage captain.

With Johnny Sexton and – most likely – Owen Farrell out of the picture, Wales' Jac Morgan could emerge as the frontrunner, or even Courtney Lawes, if he maintains his recent form since retiring from England. But before the Lion Crusade, the most important appointment of all will take place on the other side of the world. Is there a magician who can bring the Wallabies back to life to ensure the whole event doesn't turn into a nasty blowout? The entire Lions concept needs a blockbuster series to revive it after the hollow Covid-era tour of South Africa, but Australian rugby is in a state of continued, possibly terminal disarray and apathy. Unfortunately, it may already be too late to save it.

The Lions are about to appoint Andy Farrell as coach; he is the obvious and the right choice