Farrell replaces Ford for England's quarter-final

In the match against Chile during the Rugby World Cup 2023, Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith played as fly-half and full-back respectively for Team England. The upcoming quarter-final of the same tournament will be played between England and Fiji at Stade de Marseille on Sunday, 15th October, at 4:00 PM BST. The match can be followed live through the BBC Radio 5 Live commentary and live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.

England's Rugby World Cup quarter-final match against Fiji will see Owen Farrell take over George Ford's position as fly-half. Marcus Smith will begin the game as the team's full-back.

During three out of England's four pool games, Ford was the starting player in the position of number 10, while Farrell was unable to play due to being suspended for the first two matches.

For Sunday's game, the fly-half is now being replaced and will sit on the bench, as Joe Marchant and Manu Tuilagi take over the centre position.

In the upcoming match at Marseille, the wings for England's team will be occupied by Jonny May and Elliot Daly. Additionally, the forward pack remains unaltered.

Steve Borthwick has put back Farrell and Smith into the roles they had when England defeated Chile with a score of 71-0.

Danny Care, who plays as a scrum-half, and Ollie Lawrence, who plays in the centre position, are among the reserve backs for England's team.

Borthwick stated that Fiji is capable of being a very dangerous opponent with unpredictable tactics.

"Our performance in the group stages has already demonstrated our ability to come out victorious. Thus, we will rely on the knowledge and resilience gained from that experience to ensure our journey continues successfully."

In an August warm-up match at Twickenham, England faced their first-ever defeat against Fiji.

Fiji has chosen 10 players who were part of that game.

Sam Matavesi, who works as a hooker for the rugby team, will not be in the starting line-up due to the passing of his father, Sireli Matavesi. Meanwhile, Semi Radradra will be back on the wing of the field after not playing in their last game against Portugal which marked the end of their pool play in the Pacific Islander's tournament.

Borthwick Takes A Chance

England supporters were elated when Ford successfully made three drop-goals and also scored all 27 points in their first pool-stage win against Argentina in September.

Ford delivered another splendid performance and aided in securing a triumph against Japan. This man-of-the-match honor marks the second consecutive game in which he has earned this recognition.

After the 71-0 victory over Chile, Farrell made a comeback, but there were still concerns in the last game against Samoa. This was a close game, with England winning 18-17. In this match, Farrell and Ford played as the number 10 and 12.

During the match, Ford was replaced in the 52nd minute. This prompted former England captain Matt Dawson to express surprise and disbelief that Farrell would take Ford's place for Sunday's game.

Borthwick and his coaching team have taken a risk by choosing Smith for their team.

Before, Steward had played in 29 of the 30 Tests since he first made his debut in 2021. However, he has been dropped from the team this time, possibly because Fiji is not considered a big risk when it comes to receiving kicks.

The speed and talent for creating opportunities of Smith, who usually plays as a fly-half, will substitute the defensive and airborne skills of Steward. It is not yet clear if this change will be successful.

This is the lineup for the England Rugby team: Smith is the fullback, May and Marchant are the wings, while Tuilagi and Daly play at centre. Farrell is the captain and plays as a fly-half while Mitchell mans the scrum-half position. The forwards include Genge, George, Cole, and Itoje as props, with Chessum and Lawes playing at lock. The back row consists of Curry, Earl, and Lawes.

The new players who will take the place of the old ones are Dan, Marler, Sinckler, Martin, Vunipola, Care, Ford, and Lawrence.

Fiji's rugby team players' names for their latest match are as follows: - Droasese - Habosi - Nayacalevu (captain) - Tuisova - Radradra - Botitu - Lomani - Mawi - Ikanivere - Tagi - Nasilasila - Tuisue - Tagitagivalu - Botia - Mata.

New players have joined the team: Matavesi, Ravai, Doge, Derenalagi, Miramira, Kuruvoli, Masi, Maqala have been added to replace other players.