If the late Bill McLaren were still around he would have loved George Ford’s towering “spiral bombs”. And with the temperature dropping around Murrayfield, the old commentary box catchphrase – “This one really does have snow on it” – might not be too far from the truth on Saturday. When Ford launches an up-and-under these days, the ball virtually disappears into orbit.
It has reached the point where the aerial bazooka has become Ford’s party piece. A murmur of expectancy now ripples around the stadium as, standing back in the pocket, the fly-half carefully tilts the ball in his hands to ensure optimum height and spin. And then – whoosh! – up it goes like a meteor before tailing away from the poor catcher at the last moment. Devilish is the word.
The rationale behind this cunning tactical weapon is simple enough. “A traditional end-over-end ball is easy to gauge and track whereas a spiral is unpredictable,” Ford says. “You don’t know where it’s going to land and it’s very difficult to go and jump and catch it. If they hear the footsteps of the boys chasing then hopefully it can cause them some problems.”
But Ford will also tell you the spiral bomb forms only a tiny part of a much wider narrative. In the past, English crowds have howled with frustration at the sight of yet another seemingly aimless kick skywards. Six years ago, the game was in danger of becoming so risk averse even Ford spoke about possession in his own team’s half being akin to “a ticking timebomb”. Now England have reframed the narrative and look to the air for more proactive, calculating reasons.
Because, increasingly, the crucial bit is what happens next. “I think the key shift has been what you do when you win it back,” Ford says. “That’s been a big mindset shift in the world of rugby, but for us especially. Whenever we kick now what we’re trying to do is create an attacking opportunity at all times.
“The reason we’re kicking the way we do is to win field position, get the ball higher up the field and then go and attack, move the ball and score tries. To give our X-factor back three players some space to go and entertain. There’s no point kicking the ball then getting the ball back, not doing anything with it and kicking it again, for example.”
The crackdown on escort runners who previously helped to protect catchers from onrushing chasers has also played its part. There were 79 kicks in open play in the game between England and Wales, and Ford was responsible for 26 of the hosts’ 42 kicks, leathering it for 1,001 metres in total.
So when England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, talks before games about expecting Wales or Scotland to kick repeatedly, he does so knowing his own side will do likewise, if not more so. And with one-handed tap backs permitted, thus reducing the number of clean defensive catches, reacting smartly to the ensuing loose balls is now vital. “It’s fascinating to watch at the minute,” Ford says. “You can see France come alive just like that and I think we did it quite well at the weekend. We managed to strike fast and cause Wales some problems. Finn Russell will be great at that as well so it’s obviously a big part of Scotland’s game.”
With 106 caps to his name, however, the 32-year-old Ford is experienced enough to know that simply targeting Russell can be counterproductive. As has happened in the past, it allows Scotland to employ him as a handy decoy on occasions and open up space for others. “The skill set and unpredictability he brings to the game are obviously a massive part of what they do,” Ford says. “But sometimes if you focus too much on one individual in a 15-man game it can catch you out. They’ve got other threats across the field.”
England, too, are keeping an eye on the weather, having been blown off course at Murrayfield on numerous occasions in the past. Ford has been stressing the need for the visitors to focus on the basics – “Unless you have a strong foundation there is no point having all of your eggs in the attack basket” – but also accepts he and his teammates will need to be alert to a Scottish side on the rebound from their 18-15 defeat to Italy in Rome. “In terms of our concentration, we’ve got to be at 100%. We’ve got to be making sure we’re on the front foot, on our toes and ready for anything.
“Let’s respect the opposition and everything they bring, but the first thing at the forefront of our minds is to play our game and impose it on the opposition. Regardless of who and where we’re playing or what the weather is, we want to go and play the way we want to play.”