Steve Borthwick’s choice to position George Ford at No. 10 for England is both logical and revealing, hinting at the strategy England might employ against Australia.

As the head coach of England, Borthwick is spoiled for choice with exceptional playmakers like Ford, Fin Smith, and Marcus Smith at his disposal. This abundance is indeed a fortunate dilemma. Speaking from experience as a former Wales No. 10, I understand the complexities of choosing the right fly-half!

If I were in Borthwick’s position, my pick would have been Fin Smith. Borthwick seemed to commit to Fin when he substituted Marcus Smith for him during the Six Nations. Fin performed admirably, leading England to four victories and earning a spot on the Lions tour as a result.

Despite sympathizing with Fin, there’s no denying that Ford is a world-class talent. He’s currently in peak form and delivering exceptional performances.

Having faced Ford numerous times, I can attest to his influence. England’s successful eras often coincide with Ford at No. 10, as seen in their Six Nations triumphs in 2016, 2017, and 2020, as well as their impressive journey to the 2019 World Cup final.

I played a lot against George Ford for Wales and Northampton while he was representing England and Leicester – here we are back in March 2019

I feel for Fin Smith, who had the England No 10 shirt locked down in the Six Nations and then suffered for going on the Lions tour

You know what you’re getting with Ford – a supremely accurate kicking game, a strong passing game and experience and leadership. With him at No 10 and Tommy Freeman at outside centre, it seems pretty clear to me England are going to try and replicate the sort of power game with which the Lions comfortably got the better of Australia in the first Test this summer.

If you remember that match in Brisbane, the Wallabies were without two of their biggest carriers in Will Skelton and Rob Valetini. The Lions were excellent physically, dominating the collisions. It laid the platform for a 19-point lead and although the final score was closer, the Lions were never in danger.

I can sense a repeat trick from England this weekend. Because this game takes place outside of World Rugby’s Test window, Australia are without their players based abroad. That means the giant Skelton is again unavailable. So too are Exeter pair Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper and Leicester’s James O’Connor. That gives England a huge advantage.

I expect England to try and dominate Australia physically without the likes of Skelton. They will rush the Wallabies and aim for the upper hand up front. I think Ford has been picked to target the Wallabies with his pinpoint kicking on the back of winning collisions and getting front-foot ball.

With Freeman, Tom Roebuck, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Freddie Steward all in the same back-line, England have a huge aerial threat. Ford will kick for these giant backs to compete and win back possession.

It reminds me a little bit of the Wales team I played in when we had giant guys like Jamie Roberts, George North, Jonathan Davies and Alex Cuthbert behind the scrum. In those years, we knew what our strengths were and played to them. We beat teams up and didn’t f*** about with the ball when we didn’t have to! I expect England to do the same this weekend.

While it might seem contradictory to say this given I’d have picked Fin Smith, I do feel for Ford a little bit. It seems that whenever he’s selected to start for England, there is always a debate about why someone else wasn’t chosen instead.

That can be tough for a player. I have empathy for Ford because I had to deal with being in exactly that position for almost all of my Test career with Wales. But we’ve both won 100 caps so it can’t be that bad!

Ford’s pinpoint kicking – even sometimes off his left foot – will be crucial to Steve Borthwick’s game plan against Australia on Saturday

Tom Roebuck (left) and Freddie Steward (right) offer England huge aerial power

Tommy Freeman is also excellent under the high ball, as he showed against France in the Six Nations

While No 10 always gets the headlines, I think Borthwick’s bigger call is going for Freeman in the centre. I played with Freeman at Northampton and watched him score four tries against Saracens last Friday.

He will suit the power and aerial game England will likely deploy against Australia and moving him infield allows Borthwick to pick all of his excellent wingers. But my opinion is that Freeman is the best wing in England by some distance. By the same token, Ollie Lawrence is the best outside centre in the country.

Yet for Australia, Freeman will be at 13 and Lawrence isn’t even in the matchday squad. I find that slightly strange. Do you not want to play your best players in their best positions?

It may well work, as both are brilliant players. But England have two fine and in-form centres in Lawrence and Henry Slade who will both be twiddling their thumbs in the stands at kick-off. That does seem odd.

Borthwick clearly places a great deal of emphasis on cohesion. The spine of his back-line for Australia is from Northampton, with Alex Mitchell at scrum-half and Fraser Dingwall and Freeman in midfield. To that end, you may well have expected Fin Smith, as a Northampton No 10, to join them. All those players know each other so well and that’s a big advantage.

Australia will definitely look to target Freeman defensively. They’ll try to expose the fact he’s inexperienced at 13 in international rugby – and that’s another reason why Australia will miss Ikitau so much.

Even on the back of a short preparation period, England should win. They are the better team. Australia are more battle hardened on the back of the Rugby Championship and I do expect them to trouble England.

But the Wallabies being without key men is a real shame and to me, devalues the match slightly. I don’t understand why this game, even though it takes place outside of World Rugby’s match window, still contributes to ranking points. That means it will influence the draw for the 2027 World Cup which takes place at the end of this campaign, which doesn’t make sense to me at all.

Due to a mad scheduling decision, Australia will be without some of their biggest stars – including Len Ikitau (centre)

With his Northampton team-mates Fraser Dingwall (centre) and Freeman (right) in midfield, I was surprised not to see Fin Smith (left) at fly-half too

I’m picking England to take down Australia on Saturday – they are the better side, regardless of the Aussies’ selection issues

Even if Australia were fully loaded, I’d still expect England to win, however. I’ve no doubt Ford will have a fine game and if he does and England win, I’d expect him to retain the No 10 shirt for the rest of the autumn.

I’ve read some commentary that England could pick different fly-halves for different matches depending on tactics and opponents. I understand the argument, but having played Test rugby in that position, I know better than anyone that you want to feel backed as the playmaker.

You want to be told by your coach: ‘This is your team. Go and boss it.’

I played my best rugby for Wales under Warren Gatland when he delivered that message to me. It’s one Borthwick will have given to Ford this week. Now it’s up to him to show why he was the right man to get the nod.

Dan is partnering with M&S this autumn to showcase their latest menswear collection. Visit: https://www.marksandspencer.com/c/men