George Ford is not one for excessive sentiment so even the occasion of his 100th cap for England is just ‘another day at the office’.
And yet with his family having flown all the way to Argentina to watch him become only the eighth man to bring up three figures for England, it is the perfect time to appreciate one of the greats of the English game.
A precocious talent who was playing senior rugby at just 16, Ford was crowned World Rugby Junior Player of the Year ahead of the likes of Sam Cane and Beauden Barrett while playing against players two years his senior in 2011.
Record Books
Little wonder that he has gone on to write his name into the record books.
Even with the competition from his good friend Owen Farrell, and more recently the Smiths – Marcus and Fin, Ford has quietly gone about his business as one of the best playmakers the country has produced.
He is still only 32, and even if his position in the hierarchy shifted during the Six Nations – playing just 24 minutes in Cardiff – he has no plans to make it 100 and out.
Farrell‘s possible return could complicate matters but given his form at the end of the season for Sale, there is a case that Ford has never been better.
As a leader for a young England side in La Plata, it is impossible to picture a better candidate, and unsurprisingly, his only focus is on celebrating with a victory.”
He said: “Once selection is made and you know you’re going to be getting out on the field at the weekend, it becomes a bit more real. It’s an unbelievably proud moment for me, but more importantly my family. But the most important thing at the weekend is the team and having a really good performance and getting a good result.”
The dream scenario would have been to bring up his 100th cap at Twickenham, back where he played the final minute of a win over Wales back in 2014 on debut.
Argentina Experience
But there is something fitting about the fact his landmark moment will come in the compact environment of the Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi in La Plata.
It is eight years since Ford last played in Argentina, again after being overlooked for Lions selection, and the football-like atmosphere of stadia in the land of steak and Malbec has not been forgotten.
He said: “I was a bit taken aback by it eight years ago when I first came over here.“It is constant, up on their feet, singing, chanting, a football environment.
“It’s an incredible atmosphere to play in.“From what I can remember last time, I absolutely loved it. It was something that we had never experienced before as English players really.
“Coming to a country like this and going into one of those environments. It brought the best out of us and I think it could do in the next couple of weeks. How can you not be up for a game going into an environment like that?”
A bouncing football stadium for a hundredth cap. Some day at the office!
Purchase your tickets to the Autumn Nations Series at Allianz Stadium
By Paul Eddison
