Ford backs England's leadership depth to cover Itoje absence on summer tour

George Ford has moved to reassure England supporters that the squad possesses the leadership depth to absorb a potential extended absence from captain Maro Itoje, with the Sale fly-half set to lead a scratch side against France XV in Vannes on Friday, 19 June.

Itoje has been stood down for the non-cap international and could remain on the sidelines until next season after a punishing 12 months that culminated in him captaining the British and Irish Lions to victory over Australia. England’s summer schedule — which includes Nations Championship Tests against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina — means the second row’s workload is under careful management.

Ford was clear that the burden of leadership does not rest on any single player. “Even though Maro is our captain, leadership is always a group effort,” he said. “Myself, Jamie George, Ollie Chessum has been stepping up brilliantly, Ben Earl — it’s never just one guy, it’s never just on Maro as the guy at the top. A great leadership team shares responsibility, help each other out and bring their different strengths and weaknesses to the party.”

England open their Nations Championship campaign against back-to-back world champions South Africa in Johannesburg on July 4, making Friday’s fixture in Vannes a useful opportunity to blood new faces before the serious business begins.

One player poised to take that opportunity is South Africa-born centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg, who is named on the bench at Stade de la Rabine in support of starting centres Seb Atkinson and Max Ojomoh. Janse van Rensburg is eligible to feature despite not reaching his official residency qualification date of July 8 because the match carries no Test status.

Ford has been impressed since the centre first joined the England camp last month. “Benhard is like an excitable kid,” Ford said. “He loves training, loves being around the lads and he’s got so much energy in training and around the place as well. He’s been a great addition.”

Ford highlighted the dual threat Janse van Rensburg poses in the midfield. “His ball playing is really good. He takes it to the very, very end of just getting hit and he’s got the ability to ball play as well. That then makes his carry more effective because you don’t know whether he’s going to play or not.”