George Ford was weak.
Some 106 international games, 12 Six Nations appearances, a career forged in opposition defences, a body honed by countless gym reps, and a mind defined by determination and perfectionism.
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In all of this, George Ford was weak.
This is what it feels like.
In October 2024, Ford tore his right quadriceps five minutes after Sale’s defeat at Saracens. Experts examining it have good news and bad news.
Ford did not require surgery. However, if he fails to recuperate properly, the power behind his boot will diminish. He would lose a few meters out of control off the tee.
“So I said ‘we’re going to leave no stone unturned to fix it’,” Ford told BBC’s Rugby League Weekly.
One floor below is a Pilates studio.
Pilates combines stretching and weight-adjusting exercises, and to some it comes across as old-fashioned – a gentle and elegant form of exercise for seniors.
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Ford found that was not the case.
“As football players, we go to the gym and lift weights,” he said. “But when I went to Pilates and they put me in some positions, I realized I wasn’t actually that strong.
“You think this has to end soon. You can feel everything.
“I went to the gym and did four or five sets of squats – it was completely different.
“It was kind of an eye-opener.”
Ward, 32, is willing to look for that extra edge in unexpected places, which has kept him in the England half.
Just as he was alert in other ways.
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Ford studied football players’ ability to scan the field for possibilities.
Speaking to The Times, he named Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Crystal Palace’s Adam Walton and Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard for their ability to mentally map out space before the ball arrives.
Ford is trying to do the same.
“On the ground, things are happening so fast around you that you don’t have time to look up for 20 seconds to figure it out,” he said.
“It’s more of a peripheral vision or spatial awareness, sensing that something isn’t quite right in the defense or there’s more room than there should be.”
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Also involved is rugby’s equivalent of card counting.
Ford recounted how he would look at the tackle zone, note which defensive line jersey numbers had been absorbed, and extrapolate where the defense might be lacking in numbers or speed without taking his eyes off the breakdown.
So when Fraser Dingwall’s charge drew Wales scrum-half Dan Edwards and inside center Ben Thomas at Twickenham early on Saturday, Ford knew what was needed.
Barely looking to his left, he passed the ball directly to Henry Arundel, allowing the winger to round the defense and straight out of the way of three teammates, setting up England’s first of seven shots.
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Ford owes this ability in part to his rugby league roots. He grew up in a village outside Oldham and had offers from Wigan, Warrington and Bradford to join their youth teams.
In the 13-a-side system, the defense is more fixed, but there are also more sections of the game. In those youth leagues, Ford put a lot of emphasis on spotting mismatches and practiced a lot about it.
Years of repetition improve accuracy and streamline the process.
At the test level, there are only a few seconds to make each decision amid the chaos.
England manager Steve Borthwick took longer to select Ford as his No. 10.
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Ford scored all 27 points in England’s opening game of the 2023 World Cup against Argentina, but he was relegated to the bench as the knockout stages began.
With Owen Farrell opting out of international duty for the remainder of the Six Nations, Ford started all five games as a No.10.
Marcus Smith has been given the chance to replace Ford on the 2024 tour of New Zealand after injury, while Finn Smith burst onto the scene during last year’s Six Nations.
But eight starts in the past nine Tests – Ford was rested in the win over Fiji in the autumn – represent his longest run as an England starting half in six years.
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He enjoyed being back on his stage.
“When you play in the Six Nations you feel like you’re playing in a special tournament,” he said.
“Any opportunity you get to go to Murrayfield, Cardiff, Dublin – it’s a fantastic tournament.
“As a player, it’s such an amazing thing to be a part of – to win and have memories like this.
“That’s why we try so hard throughout the week to do this.”
In this week, in this moment, in the last few years and in the Pilates studio. Ford is drawing strength from them.
