Pilates pain and spotting space - how Ford stays in the fly-half fight at 32

George Ford is weak.

Some 106 caps, 12 Six Nations campaigns, a career forged in the teeth of opposition defence, a body honed by countless gym reps, and a mind defined by determination and perfectionism.

All that, and George Ford is weak.

That is what it felt like.

Five minutes into Sale's defeat at Saracens in October 2024, Ford had torn his right quad muscle. The specialist who examined it had good news and bad news.

Ford wouldn't need surgery. However, if he failed to get his rehabilitation right, the power behind his boot would be diminished. He would lose metres off the tee and out of hand.

"So I said 'let's not leave any stone unturned here with the rehabilitation'," Ford told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.

Under one was a Pilates studio.

Pilates, which combines stretching and body weight conditioning exercises, has, for some, a fusty image - a gentle and genteel workout for those of advancing years.

Ford found out it is nothing of the sort.

"As rugby players, we go in the gym and we lift heavy weights," he said. "But when I went to do Pilates, they put me in some positions where I realised actually I'm not that strong.

"You think that this has got to end soon. You can feel everything.

"I go in the gym and do four or five sets of squats - it's completely different.

"It was a bit of an eye-opener."

That willingness to go somewhere unexpected for an extra edge has kept 32-year-old Word in the England fly-half fight.

As has keeping his eyes open in other ways.

Ford has studied footballers' ability to scan the pitch for possibilities.

Speaking to the Times, he name-checked Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton and Arsenal pair Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard for their ability to mentally map space before the ball reaches them.

Ford attempts to do the same.

"At ground level, things are happening so fast around you, you don't have time to look up for 20 seconds and work things out," he said.

"It is more a peripheral vision or spatial awareness thing, sensing that something isn't quite right in the defence or there is more space than there should be."

Also involved is rugby's equivalent of card counting.

Ford recounts how he will watch the tackle area, note which backline shirt numbers have been sucked in, and deduce - without taking his eyes off the breakdown - where the defence might be lacking numbers or pace.

So, when Fraser Dingwall's charge sucked in Wales fly-half Dan Edwards and inside centre Ben Thomas early on at Twickenham on Saturday, Ford knew what was needed.

With barely a look to his left, he duly cut out three of his team-mates with a pass straight to Henry Arundell for the wing to skirt round the defence and score the first of seven England tries.

Ford thanks his rugby league roots in part for that ability. Growing up in a village outside Oldham, he had offers from Wigan, Warrington and Bradford to join their youth set-ups.

In the 13-man code, defences are more set, but there are more passages of play. In those teenage league games, there was a high premium on Ford spotting mismatches and plenty of practice for him to do so.

Years of repetition sharpens up the accuracy and streamlines the process.

At Test level there are only a couple of seconds amid the chaos for each decision to be made.

England head coach Steve Borthwick has taken a little longer to settle on Ford as his number one number 10.

Ford kicked all 27 points in England's opening-game win over Argentina at the 2023 World Cup, but was a bit-part bench option by the time the knockout stages came round.

With Owen Farrell opting out of international duty at the following Six Nations, Ford started all five matches at 10.

Injury then gave Marcus Smith the chance to supplant Ford in the pecking order on the 2024 tour of New Zealand, before Fin Smith emerged in last year's Six Nations.

But eight starts in the past nine Tests - Ford was rested for the autumn win over Fiji - represents his longest run as England's starting fly-half in six years.

He is relishing the stage it has returned him to.

"When you're in the Six Nations, you feel like you're playing in a special tournament," he said.

"Any opportunity you can get going to Murrayfield, Cardiff, Dublin - it is such a showpiece event.

"As a player, what an amazing thing to be a part of - and go and win and have that memory.

"That is why we work so hard in the week to try and do that."

In the week, in the moment, in years past and in the Pilates studio. Ford is drawing strength from them all.

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