Steve Borthwick told to axe England star handed £160k contract just weeks ago

head coach has been urged to axe George Ford just weeks after he was awarded an Elite Player Squad contract. Last month, the RFU confirmed that for representing their country, with Borthwick getting the final say on their medical and fitness matters.

The deals came prior to England kicking off their Autumn International campaign, which has this far yielded consecutive defeats against New Zealand and Australia.

And the displays of Ford, who recovered from a torn quad muscle to make selection for both games, have come under real scrutiny.

The 31-year-old has produced two error-strewn cameos, first . With the hosts trailing 24-22 in the final minute, he struck the post with a long range penalty, before seeing a last-ditch drop goal opportunity drift wide.

On Saturday, Borthwick again chose to send him on just after the hour mark, with the crowd responding by jeering the decision to switch the in-form Marcus Smith to full back. And rather than add composure to the ranks, the change seemed to disrupt England's cohesion .

And now Andy Goode, who won 17 caps at No.10 for England, has called for Borthwick to get ruthless and end his ploy of pre-planning substitutions. "He is bringing George Ford on at 65 minutes and the whole crowd is booing and that is a sign of everyone has been talking about you have got to leave Marcus Smith at 10," he told Jim Hamilton on .

"At this point we are chasing the game a bit and Marcus Smith at 10, he creates two or three tries and then you move him to full-back and bring George Ford on. I'm sorry, George Ford's time is up as an England player. I don't think he should be in the squad. He hasn't played enough rugby this year to earn the right."

Ford is currently on 96 caps, but will add to that tally if he features in the upcoming matches with South Africa and Japan. Goode however, argued that Northampton's Fin Smith currently represents a more favourable option and also blamed Ford for England's late defensive chaos against Australia, citing an intercepted pass that led to one try for the visitors.

"Like, last week you are bringing George Ford on to close out the game and this is a Steve issue and a George Ford issue," he added. "This week, with five minutes to go, we have ourselves in a winning position.

"When you are talking about game management, you are talking about experience and you are talking about 75 minutes into the game, you are two points up and you have got a lineout in and around the halfway line - that is an awful play to call at that point by George Ford."

Ford, who initially appeared to be struggling to make the Autumn campaign, to have extra time to prove his fitness. The head coach has previously lauded his ability to mentor younger members of the squad, with the Sale fly half having racked up 414 points in an England shirt since his debut in 2014.