Stuart Lancaster: George Ford has put down a marker

Head coach Stuart Lancaster was full of praise for George Ford after the 21-year-old fly-half claimed 13 points in England’s 28-9 victory over Samoa at Twickenham on Saturday.

Ford, handed his first start for the Red Rose, began to dictate the pace of the game from midway through the first half after early Samoan pressure had put England on the back foot.

And Lancaster was delighted with the Bath man’s performance, both with ball in hand and from the tee.

“It’s a big responsibility for such a young player to come on and try and run a game, and I thought he did it well,” said Lancaster.

“He looked incisive on his line breaks, he’s got a great eye for a gap, and his kicking game was good.”

Ford also stood up well in the face of some heavy Islander tackles, and Lancaster admitted that the youngster’s performance had given rise to a selection problem ahead of next weekend’s clash with Australia.

“He took some hits, showed a great deal of bravery, and I thought it was a really positive first game for him,” said the England head coach.

“He’s put a real marker down today for next week.”

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