Ford’s 25-minute spell at the Principality Stadium was his only rugby of the Six Nations, but he set up two of England’s four tries while he was on the field.
Then he took the form with him to Kingston Park in a player-of-the-match display described as a “masterclass” by former Scotland full-back Hugo Southwell, who was on co-commentary duty for TNT Sports.
Ford was orchestrating his team-mates, he had a kicking percentage of 86%, while he provided the highlight of the match with a gorgeous cross kick for Joe Carpenter to slide down on to score, as a sign of a player at the top of his powers.
Ford now has 99 England caps, but despite over a decade of international experience, he has never made a Lions squad.
Although he has had the two Smiths, Northampton’s Fin and Marcus of Harlequins, ahead of him in the England pecking order, Lions selection is different.
It is expected that Scotland’s Finn Russell will be one of the number 10s selected, so the question will be who Farrell picks to complement the Bath player.
Both Smiths will come into the equation to make it onto the plane along with Ireland duo Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley.
