George Ford benefiting from off-season

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/club/9504705/George-Ford-prepared-to-challenge-Toby-Flood-for-No10-shirt-at-Leicester-Tigers-and-England.html#

It looks like the coaches have made the right call and its encouraging to hear that he feels he hasn't lost any of his speed with the increase in weight. It sounds like there will be a lot of sharing of the number 10 shirt at Tigers this year so we will be seeing a lot more of Ford. Interesting times ahead!

Well, Flood will be away for something like 15 match weekends with England (if he's in the match day squads, which he should be). That's out of something like min 33 max 40. So he's going to be starting around half the games for the Tigers this year minimum (without injuries).

HammerofThunor wrote:Well, Flood will be away for something like 15 match weekends with England (if he's in the match day squads, which he should be). That's out of something like min 33 max 40. So he's going to be starting around half the games for the Tigers this year minimum (without injuries).

And a season without Toby Flood getting injured is rare.

I have to say that Ford did not look any bigger on Saturday (and Tigers have yet to update their Squad biogs). I am interested to see who is the first choice once we get to the business end of the season - though a lot will depend upon how Ford's goal kicking has progressed.

Hopefully we're going to see more of Flood being rested or subbed on the hour mark. Flood has played a lot of games in recent years because the back up has not been up to the required standard. Now with Ford stepping up and Bowden covering 10/12 we can afford to let Toby sit out the occasional game and come off early. Keeping him fresher for the end of season run in (which is normally when he gets injured).

Ford is a massive young talent and his education will continue this season. I'm hoping England don't do anything stupid and promote him to early, Saxons this season and then next season maybe a call up if he earns it.

Did anyone doubt that he would put on "good weight" at a team like Tigers?

Its good for the English game...but lets hope he's not the new messiah...and pin all hopes on him like English fans have a habbbit of doing.

Lets just hope the young lad comes and which ever game he's selected for he shows confidence, skills and strength to take the hits that will undoubtedly come in.

Heathcote should hopefully get some games...Burns will get lots of games and hopefully Owen Farrell will be forced to improve his attacking game and skill set...

That would give us three young guys with different styles...plus Flood and Hodgson...all battling it out. A nice position to be in...

GeordieFalcon wrote:Heathcote should hopefully get some games...

Lets see how Gold selects. I thought the way Bath handled Heathcote last season was terrible. It seemed that no matter how poor his form was, due to the large expenditure Donald was selected whenever fit.

LT,

I actually rate gold quite highly...he seems a switched on guy. He nearly saved us from relegation in a matter of mnonths at the club.

IF Heathcote is ready i think Gold will give him games...as he is a talent...

I think Heathcote will be ditched to the bench or to 12 for a good portion of next season. Bath rate Donald very highly as LT says and the command from up high seem to be to play him when fit. Gold will force Bath to toughen up but I'm not sure he is going to really get Bath playing the extravagent rugby the fans at the Rec will be wanting to see.

From what I've seen of Ford I am very excited about the future. He brings players into the game and helps create holes where there shouldn't be.

I'm hopeful of an English future where Ben Youngs is back to his best, Ford is pulling the strings, Manu is smashing holes and guys like Chris Ashton, Jonny May and Ben Foden can play with genuine freedom. Heady days my friends!

Can the forwards win quick ball to facilitate that dream?

Young George Ford is one of the best distributors I've seen at Tigers for a long time, Flood is good but Ford is on another level. Needs to up his confidence levels and add that little more experience to his play and he should be a really good player at 10 for Tigers and England whether they choose a tactical or free flowing approach, he can do both.

LT, that is where all games are won and lost, England have the scrummaging ability and a host of decent youngsters. It'll be up to the management to form it into a combative team. A big second row enforcer is a must and some competition at 2, 3 and 8 is needed as well. Those are discussions for another topic though.

So excited to see Ford this coming season. He was a little terrier in defence even as a lilliputian- let's see what he can do now. Hopefully it's given him the added confidence in himself, in both attack and defence.

LondonTiger wrote:Can the forwards win quick ball to facilitate that dream?

It's all personal opinion of course, but I think so. We gained parity at the breakdown for large junks of the S.A. tour and I think there is more to come from young forwards like Croft, Wood and Fearns. Once we get the right personnel in the boiler room, we should be well set.

Agree Cumbrian, we just need to add a big chunk of physicality to the team and we will be doing much better.

I reckon Twelvetrees may end up playing a lot of rugby at 10 for Gloucester, with Mills outside him. Given his skillset (and size) Billy will be a real contender if he does play FH for Gloucester and play it well.

And then there's Cipriani, a hopefully transformed Farrell, and even Geraghty. England have plenty of choice at FH.

Twelvetrees isn't a 10, Freddie Burns may come through from Gloucester as a good option for England but I doubt very much Twelvetrees will. He just lacks a bit of vision at 10, 12 suits him better because he gets that little more time on the ball. Geraghty hasn't got the kicking game to be an international 10, if he'd concentrated on 12 earlier in his career he could have made it there though.

I'd say Heathcote or Ford will start at 10 before Billy or Geraghty.

I just don't see how you can be certain Twelvtrees isn't a 10. He's a tremendously decisive passer so I don't see how you can say he doesn't have vision. The only real exposure he's had there was when he was dropped into the Leicester starting line-up with no previous top level experience at the top level in any position.

No ways Burns will be fit all season, and I reckon Twelvetrees will be next in line and will be difficult to displace once Burns misses a couple of games.

36 performed pretty well at 10 in his Championship year with Bedford.

However I have to agree with Sam, that he is a 12 who can cover 10 but very unlikely to be an international at 10. Firstly he needs more time than modern defences allow. Secondly his skills are much better suited to 12.

He could adapt to be a passable 10 for england but when you have much more instinctive 10s available in ford, Burns (and Cipriani) or better tactical kicking 10s( Farrell, Ford, Heathcote) it seems a waste when he could be a stand-out 12.

Firstly he needs more time than modern defences allow

+1, he needs to look to know what is going on around him, players like Ford and Burns they seem to just know what's around them. Give him the extra time on the ball and he is a classy 12.

Glaws have Taylor on the books and he is a thoroughly reliable 10 and Mills also plays a bit of 10 as well as 12 so I don't think it's necessarily a certainty that Twelvetrees will be pushed to 10. If they have any sense they'll keep him at 12 and use his big passing game to release the wingers.

I guess we'll see what happens.