Steve Borthwick confident England can cope if Owen Farrell cops World Cup ban

POTENTIAL BAN: England's Owen Farrell is shown a yellow card by referee Nika Amashukeli during the Summer Nations Series match at Twickenham. Pic: PA

Owen Farrell will discover his World Cup fate at a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday after a red card against Wales that threatens to derail England’s campaign, but Steve Borthwick has insisted his side are “blessed” with fly-half options.

The England captain is facing a ban that would rule him out of the start of the tournament, with Borthwick adamant he will wait on the outcome of Farrell’s hearing before overhauling his plans. George Ford impressed off the bench on Saturday and is the favourite to assume the mantle as first-choice No 10 while Marcus Smith is another back-up option.