DAN BIGGAR: Here's the major clue Steve Borthwick has revealed about his England gameplan this autumn by picking George Ford over Fin Smith at fly-half - and the 'giant' attacking strategy it unlocks

Steve Borthwick’s decision to go for George Ford at No 10 is one that can’t be argued with - and offers a big clue about how England are going to play against Australia.

As England head coach, Borthwick has an embarrassment of playmaker riches. Ford, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith are all brilliant operators, so it’s an enviable position for him to be in. And as a former Wales No 10, I know all too well about a fly-half debate!

If I were in Borthwick’s shoes, I’d have picked Fin Smith. Borthwick seemed to nail his colours to the mast when he replaced Marcus Smith with his namesake for the Six Nations. Fin Smith went really well, England won four games, and he was picked for the Lions tour on the back of it.

It feels like Fin has almost lost out a bit by going away with the Lions, because he surrendered his England position to Ford in the summer as a result and did not feature in any of the Lions Tests.

While I feel for Fin, make no mistake Ford is world-class. He's playing at the top of his game right now. 

I played against Ford so many times. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that some of England’s most successful periods have come with him at No 10. Their Six Nations title wins in 2016, 2017 and 2020 and run to the 2019 World Cup final are good examples of this.

You know what you’re getting with Ford – a supremely accurate kicking game, a strong passing game and experience and leadership. With him at No 10 and Tommy Freeman at outside centre, it seems pretty clear to me England are going to try and replicate the sort of power game with which the Lions comfortably got the better of Australia in the first Test this summer.

If you remember that match in Brisbane, the Wallabies were without two of their biggest carriers in Will Skelton and Rob Valetini. The Lions were excellent physically, dominating the collisions. It laid the platform for a 19-point lead and although the final score was closer, the Lions were never in danger.

I can sense a repeat trick from England this weekend. Because this game takes place outside of World Rugby’s Test window, Australia are without their players based abroad. That means the giant Skelton is again unavailable. So too are Exeter pair Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper and Leicester’s James O’Connor. That gives England a huge advantage.

I expect England to try and dominate Australia physically without the likes of Skelton. They will rush the Wallabies and aim for the upper hand up front. I think Ford has been picked to target the Wallabies with his pinpoint kicking on the back of winning collisions and getting front-foot ball.

With Freeman, Tom Roebuck, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Freddie Steward all in the same back-line, England have a huge aerial threat. Ford will kick for these giant backs to compete and win back possession.

It reminds me a little bit of the Wales team I played in when we had giant guys like Jamie Roberts, George North, Jonathan Davies and Alex Cuthbert behind the scrum. In those years, we knew what our strengths were and played to them. We beat teams up and didn’t f*** about with the ball when we didn’t have to! I expect England to do the same this weekend.

While it might seem contradictory to say this given I’d have picked Fin Smith, I do feel for Ford a little bit. It seems that whenever he’s selected to start for England, there is always a debate about why someone else wasn’t chosen instead.

That can be tough for a player. I have empathy for Ford because I had to deal with being in exactly that position for almost all of my Test career with Wales. But we’ve both won 100 caps so it can’t be that bad!

While No 10 always gets the headlines, I think Borthwick’s bigger call is going for Freeman in the centre. I played with Freeman at Northampton and watched him score four tries against Saracens last Friday.

He will suit the power and aerial game England will likely deploy against Australia and moving him infield allows Borthwick to pick all of his excellent wingers. But my opinion is that Freeman is the best wing in England by some distance. By the same token, Ollie Lawrence is the best outside centre in the country.

Yet for Australia, Freeman will be at 13 and Lawrence isn’t even in the matchday squad. I find that slightly strange. Do you not want to play your best players in their best positions?

It may well work, as both are brilliant players. But England have two fine and in-form centres in Lawrence and Henry Slade who will both be twiddling their thumbs in the stands at kick-off. That does seem odd.

Borthwick clearly places a great deal of emphasis on cohesion. The spine of his back-line for Australia is from Northampton, with Alex Mitchell at scrum-half and Fraser Dingwall and Freeman in midfield. To that end, you may well have expected Fin Smith, as a Northampton No 10, to join them. All those players know each other so well and that’s a big advantage.

Australia will definitely look to target Freeman defensively. They’ll try to expose the fact he’s inexperienced at 13 in international rugby - and that's another reason why Australia will miss Ikitau so much.

Even on the back of a short preparation period, England should win. They are the better team. Australia are more battle hardened on the back of the Rugby Championship and I do expect them to trouble England.

But the Wallabies being without key men is a real shame and to me, devalues the match slightly. I don’t understand why this game, even though it takes place outside of World Rugby’s match window, still contributes to ranking points. That means it will influence the draw for the 2027 World Cup which takes place at the end of this campaign, which doesn’t make sense to me at all.

Even if Australia were fully loaded, I’d still expect England to win, however. I’ve no doubt Ford will have a fine game and if he does and England win, I’d expect him to retain the No 10 shirt for the rest of the autumn.

I’ve read some commentary that England could pick different fly-halves for different matches depending on tactics and opponents. I understand the argument, but having played Test rugby in that position, I know better than anyone that you want to feel backed as the playmaker.

You want to be told by your coach: ‘This is your team. Go and boss it.’

I played my best rugby for Wales under Warren Gatland when he delivered that message to me. It’s one Borthwick will have given to Ford this week. Now it’s up to him to show why he was the right man to get the nod.

Dan is partnering with M&S this autumn to showcase their latest menswear collection. Visit: https://www.marksandspencer.com/c/men