Tuesday training, four days before a new Six Nations campaign, and Steve Borthwick halted England\u2019s session with a shrill blow of his whistle.<\/p>\n
George Ford, all 5\u201910 and 13 stone of him, had put in what the coach later described as a \u201cmoment of incredible physicality\u201d to bring about a turnover for Jamie George.<\/p>\n
A year unbeaten and two players with a combined age of 67 still driving standards; Borthwick<\/a> was buzzing and wanted his squad to know why.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a point to say, the two most senior players in the squad, training at that level, setting an example for everyone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019ve got that \u2013 and youngsters like Henry Pollock bringing the energy they bring \u2013 it\u2019s a great mix.\u201d<\/p>\n Masterclass<\/p>\n Wales discovered that to their cost on Saturday night. Captained by George<\/a>, England won 48-7. On the occasion of his 106th cap, Ford<\/a> put on a masterclass at 10.<\/p>\n The fly-half will be 33 next month yet, a decade after starting every match in that same shirt in England<\/a>\u2018s only Grand Slam campaign since 2003, was an easy choice for player of the match.<\/p>\n \u201cPut simply, George Ford has looked the best player on the pitch,\u201d said David Flatman, commentating on ITV. \u201cHe\u2019s looked imperious.\u201d<\/p>\n Up in Manchester, there was no surprise on the face of Alex Sanderson, Ford\u2019s director of rugby at Sale Sharks.<\/p>\n Sanderson will tell you his pivot is getting better and can play on until he is 40. Most strikingly of all, he believes he \u201ccould be the first player-coach in international rugby\u201d.<\/p>\n Sentiments like that are easily thrown about after days like this. England were on the front foot throughout, Wales spent a quarter of the match playing with 13 and endured their worst ever first half: 29 unanswered points trumping the 28-0 scorelines against both France and South Africa in 2025.<\/p>\n England v Wales: Winners and losers as powerhouse produces \u2018statement display\u2019 but \u2018Pom Squad\u2019 fails to fire<\/a><\/p>\n Yet hear Sanderson out. Like Borthwick, his opinion of Ford is built not on hype but on what he sees for himself day in day out. He paints a picture of a player chasing perfection.<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge wants to be the best decision maker in the game, so he rates himself with a percentage and he does it after every game,\u201d Sanderson says. \u201cWhat we do with him, all the decisions he makes. He puts it down on paper and we share it with the game drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause his skill set is so high, it\u2019s not like you need to work on this pass or that kick. Invariably, the execution is always good. For him it\u2019s about, \u2018have I made the right decision to run, to kick or to pass?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cSay he gets the ball in his hands 70 times a game. Of those, 50 are going to be black-and-white good decisions. Of the other 20, say five or six may be poor ones, not even a discussion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the ones in between. \u2018Would I have done something better or differently?\u2019 That\u2019s the level of detail he goes into on a weekly basis. He is never done.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n Sanderson continues: \u201cIt is like having an extra coach. With him it\u2019s never \u2018let\u2019s just do the same thing\u2019. It\u2019s \u2018how can we make it better?\u2019 That challenges me as a coach. And in the right way.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly his rugby IQ is higher than mine. It\u2019s higher than anyone\u2019s I\u2019ve met. He probably dumbs it down for me a little bit! But it\u2019s never a case when we talk of he knows better.\u201d<\/p>\n Back at Twickenham Wales were beating themselves up for, in their own estimation, letting themselves and their country down. Losing four players to the sin bin is a recipe for disaster in anyone\u2019s book. That\u2019s now 10 yellow and one red in their last 10 Tests.<\/p>\n The matchday programme contained a 50-year flashback to JPR Williams and Gareth Edwards scoring on the same pitch in a win which set Wales on the road to a Grand Slam. You could weep for how far this rugby nation has fallen.<\/p>\n It is three years since they last won in the Six Nations<\/a>. With France at Cardiff next week it is impossible to imagine their tournament losing streak not extending to 13.<\/p>\n