What is the answer for England at full-back? Freddie Steward faltered under the high ball in the defeat to Scotland last week, Marcus Smith is a very different player to him and not a full-time 15, while George Furbank has been consistently injured of late, and Elliot Daly seems to have drifted out of the reckoning.
Speaking to Ben Foden, who made most of his 34 appearances for England from 2009 to 2013 at full-back, there is a heartening reassurance that the red rose has plenty of choice in the position.
And with the head coach Steve Borthwick admitting on Tuesday he would have made “one or two more changes” to the team, if they had not lost to the Scots, Foden says it is time for a rethink.
Foden tells The i Paper: “Against Scotland, something that England really lacked was creativity. Once Henry Arundell went off [for two yellow cards], they lost a bit of magic and spark that usually a full-back can bring to the equation.
“You know what you get from Freddie Steward. He’s solid, he runs the ball back hard, he has his moments where he is arguably one of the standout players for England, but then goes missing in other games. Hopefully, the high ball will be his for the taking this weekend against Ireland. But I just don’t feel he’s ever going to give you that moment of magic that can turn a game.
“I’d like to see someone like Furbank get in there. Furbank brings counter-attacking, and an ability to play second receiver, or first receiver on blind sides, and just be another playmaker.
Furbank hasn’t featured for England since 2024 because of injury (Photo: Getty)“Look at Thomas Ramos, how creative he is in the 15 shirt for France. Or Will Jordan for New Zealand, even Damian McKenzie or Beauden Barrett when they play 15 – they’re electric, they are entertainers in their own right. I think England are missing a little bit of a trick.”
When Steward lost his first two high balls at Murrayfield, it set a tone of defensive vulnerability; he was taunted by Scotland players. According to The Times and Opta, since the adjustment in the laws in late 2024 to prohibit “escort” players, Steward’s success with defensive catches has dropped to 69.6 per cent (from 87.3 per cent before). At the same time, the number of kicks per Six Nations match (63.8) is at its highest since 2009.
Steward, 25, has complained that players chasing a contestable kick just jump and flap a hand at the ball, knowing the worst outcome is they will knock on at the cost of a scrum. The i Paper understands referee bosses are monitoring whether this is an unfair advantage. But, as it stands, the USP of the man once nicknamed “Air Steward” has lost its lustre.
Furbank, 29, has not played for England since November 2024, missing 14 Tests with a broken arm, a head knock and calf injuries. In his absence the No 15 jersey was worn by Steward eight times, Marcus Smith four times (just one of them this season), and Daly and Joe Carpenter once each. Carpenter and Exeter Chiefs’ Josh Hodge have been the England A full-backs. Furbank is now fit after recently suffering another head knock in training with England.
Foden, who finished his playing days in New York and is now coaching Scarborough, was at Northampton Saints when Furbank was coming through their academy. He also likes Carpenter at his other former club, Sale Sharks.
Foden played most of his 34 England appearances at full-back (Photo: Getty)“He’s got a lot of elements to his game, he’s a rounded full-back,” Foden says of Carpenter, who was capped by Borthwick in the USA last summer. “I like his pace, I like his hunger to be on the ball. He also knows what [fly-half] George Ford is like – when to bounce down a blind side, when to hunt inside and outside shoulders, and look for an outside break on the 13, because he knows Ford will deliver the ball on the money.
“I used to play with Charlie Hodgson at Sale, and the excellent balls and out-balls that were put in front of me from Charlie, because he was such a good distributor and knew when to play wide, accelerated my game ten-fold.” Foden also mentions Tom de Glanville at Bath among “a plethora of really good full-backs.”
Foden wants England to revert to a 5-3 split of replacements, to use wingers who “are carving up in the Premiership”. His prediction for this Saturday’s match at Twickenham is “Ireland are probably thinking they will go to the kicking battle as well. I’d expect Arundell to have a few balls put up high on him very early doors. I imagine if things don’t go well for England, there could be a lot of changes coming up. On the other hand, there could be an England bounceback very quickly.”
Ben Foden will be playing in England Legends vs Ireland Legends, Friday 20 February, 7.30pm at the Twickenham Stoop. All of the money raised will go to supporting the Moody Family Trust. Go to Quins.co.uk for tickets.
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