Andy Farrell's Midfield Options For England

Andy Farrell will need to change his midfield partnership of Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose for the clash with Eddie Jones' England at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Garry Ringrose has been ruled out of the clash with an ankle injury meaning that Robbie Henshaw will need a new partner for the test having started all four of the fixtures so far alongside Ringrose.

With Henshaw one of the form players in the Ireland squad so far this campaign, he is likely to retain a starting jumper whether it is at inside or outside centre.

We take a look at some of the options at Farrell's disposal.

Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw 

A combination that has worked superbly for club and country in the past, Henshaw and Aki are no strangers and could seamlessly combine for the clash on Saturday. 

Aki's promotion to the starting XV would see him earn his first test cap of the year with Farrell favouring Henshaw and Ringrose with an outside back on the bench. 

The Connacht centre has been solid as ever for his province and his hardball carrying and work at the breakdown could be a welcomed addition to the starting XV. However, bringing Aki into the starting XV would shift Henshaw out of the position where he has shone so far this Six Nations.

Aki certainly didn't play himself out of test selection, rather just fell out of favour with Ringrose's injury providing the opportunity for him to reclaim his position. 

Robbie Henshaw and Chris Farrell

During the Autumn Nations Cup, Chris Farrell was well in the mix once Garry Ringrose was injured. The Munsterman linked with Bundee Aki, Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw during the tournament and could well be entrusted with a start once again. 

Chris Farrell offers quite a similar game to that of Bundee Aki, however, he is an outside centre. Bring Farrell into the starting line up would allow Henshaw to continue in the position he has shone in this Six Nations.

Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw

Stuart McCloskey finally broke back into the Ireland squad since Andy Farrell took over from Joe Schmidt but the Ulster inside has been given just one opportunity to start - against Georgia.

With Ireland's hope of winning the Six Nations now non-existent, it isn't the worst time to give McCloskey the opportunity to prove himself at the highest level and one he certainly deserves.

Dropping Henshaw?

It's incredibly unlikely but Farrell could change his midfield completely with Henshaw falling to the bench or out of the 23 completely. 

There is no real reason to drop Henshaw for the clash unless Andy Farrell feels that he should manage his workload. 

The prospect of Bundee Aki or Stuart McCloskey linking up with Chris Farrell certainly wouldn't disappoint. 

Our Verdict

The tried and tested combination of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw certainly looks to be the best option.

The pair know each others game well and while McCloskey and Farrell also deserve the opportunity to prove themselves, Aki didn't play himself out of the starting line up.

Henshaw switching to outside centre also wouldn't be too much of an adjustment having featured multiple times for Ireland and Leinster in the role.