All Borthwick needs now is a gameplan – Andy Goode

You have to credit Steve Borthwick for not being too conservative in his selection, now we just need the game plan to go with it and for the big names to stand up.

Marcus Smith’s inclusion at full back as a second playmaker is the biggest call but he had to ditch the George Ford and Owen Farrell axis and the Saracens man is the England captain so Ford and Freddie Steward are very unfortunate to miss out.

We’ve seen some big performances from the likes of Ben Earl, Henry Arundell, Danny Care, Ford, Steward and maybe a couple of others at this tournament and only one of those is in the starting XV for the quarter-final so it isn’t a selection based primarily on form.

That isn’t to say that the chosen ones are playing badly but some are definitely living a little bit off reputation and it’s time for some players who have been there and done it before on the big stage, such as Maro Itoje and Ellis Genge, to show their worth now.

Maro Itoje of England catches his breath. Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images

Jonny May has scored a bucket load of tries for England in the past and it’s no slight on him but I think most fans and impartial experts are perplexed and disappointed that Arundell isn’t in the side.

Smith’s selection is fascinating because it flies in the face of what Borthwick normally stands for as a coach in terms of solidity and a safety first approach and, of course England can only focus on Fiji, but it looks like a horses for courses pick and not one that he would make for a potential semi-final against France or South Africa.

The perception is that the Fijians don’t kick very much and so Smith won’t come under as much pressure as he would against different opposition. In fact, their number of kicks in play is about average for the tournament but it’s fair to say they don’t usually kick to contest too much.

Maybe that will change now they’ve seen the opposition line-up but if they kick deep to Smith and allow him to survey the space in front of him, then it might just be a masterstroke from Borthwick to put him in.

It goes without saying, though, that relies on him being allowed to play with his head up and according to what’s in front of him. What we’ve seen so far is England following a certain template and if that’s the case again, there’s no point having him there.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

England have kicked more than any other team at this World Cup, averaging 34 per game, and that can be a recipe for success against Fiji but only if they’re the right type of kicks.

One of the metrics that Borthwick loves most is kick distance but if you kick long and straight to Semi Radradra and Vinaya Habosi, you could be in big trouble. You have to either turn them around or put up the high bombs and get players around them.

Elsewhere, everybody knows Levani Botia is a huge threat to England and there are definitely messages that Borthwick will have been trying to get across to referee Mathieu Raynal in some shape or form.

Botia has just been sensational for La Rochelle for the past five years or more, at centre as well as in the back row, and he’s a menace at the breakdown. Raynal obviously knows him well from the Top 14 and that could work in Fiji’s favour.

We’ve seen a few referees officiating quite differently to one another at this World Cup but Raynal has issued more cards than anyone else and has the slowest ruck speed of any referee at the tournament, so there’s likely to be a battle at the breakdown.

That isn’t the type of game England will want to play, they won’t want to see a lot of competition allowed in that area and will want to get the ball away from the breakdown quickly. It’s a huge day for Tom Curry but he thrives on occasions like this.

(Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images)

Barring one or two tight calls, the likes of Ireland, France, New Zealand and South Africa have known what their gun team is for a while now. That just isn’t where England are at the moment so we’re seeing another new look starting XV in the biggest game for four years.

Borthwick has tinkered every game but England have the most experienced squad at this World Cup in terms of the number of caps and every single one of the older heads is in the match day 23.

There are 863 caps in the starting XV, with another half as many again to come off the bench, so it’s time for those established stars to put in a performance that shows why they’ve earned so many and that they still belong on the world’s biggest stage.

If you’d said a couple of months ago that England would be in a World Cup quarter-final against Fiji this weekend, everyone from Borthwick to the man on the street and in rugby clubs across the country would’ve bitten your hand off but they’ve almost bumbled their way to this stage.

The Chile game was an anomaly because of all the changes and the status and style of the opposition, the Argentina performance was good but limited because of the red card and the showings against Japan and Samoa left a lot to be desired.

All that will be forgotten if a big performance is forthcoming against Fiji, though, it feels like a new tournament and they might have been quiet so far but now is the time for Farrell and England’s other big hitters to really step up.