Eyebrows were raised by George Ford\u2019s omission from the British and Irish Lions squad, but it allowed him to achieve something very special in an England jersey.<\/p>\n
Having missed out on the Lions\u2019 trip Down Under to face the Wallabies, the Sale Sharks fly-half was picked to play for England in their summer tour of Argentina and the USA.<\/p>\n
Ford<\/a> featured in all three Tests and the opening game against the Pumas saw him reach a century of Red Rose caps.<\/p>\n Landmark game<\/p>\n That monumental landmark was something he had worked his entire career for, having made his debut for Leicester Tigers as a 16-year-old way back in November 2009.<\/p>\n Ford\u2019s professionalism and the way he responded so impressively to his Lions snub came as no surprise, but it was to be applauded all the same.<\/p>\n Ford\u2019s dad Mike, who has served on the Ireland, Lions<\/a> and England<\/a> coaching staff, told Planet Rugby: \u201cShortly before the Lions squad was announced on May 8, I sent George a text.<\/p>\n \u201cI said \u2018whatever happens today doesn\u2019t change the way we think of you. We think the world of you and love you very much\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge replied, saying \u2018Dad, whatever happens today, nothing changes. I\u2019m still going to go out and prepare as best I can for my next game\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the following day he went out and performed superbly for Sale at Leicester\u2026 but I don\u2019t think I would have done that.<\/p>\n \u201cI would probably have spent a couple of weeks feeling sorry for myself.<\/p>\n \u201cYet George showed how incredibly professional he is before going on tour with England in the summer.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the way he is and we\u2019re so proud of him for that. I\u2019m still learning from him now with the way he is.\u201d<\/p>\n As the Lions headed to Australia, Ford packed his bags in readiness for the two games against Argentina and final Test against the USA.<\/p>\n The opening Test on July 5 saw the 32-year-old become only the eighth male England player to reach a century of Test caps.<\/p>\n Dad Mike travelled with youngest son Jacob to the Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi in La Plata to see it happen.<\/p>\n Ford Snr continued: \u201cOriginally, all the family were going to go out when it looked like George could win his 100th England cap.<\/p>\n Ian McGeechan names \u2018ultimate Test-match animal\u2019 in \u2018Greatest I Coached\u2019 Lions team consisting of 10 English, 3 Welsh, 2 Scots and 0 Irish<\/a><\/p>\n