Brian O'Driscoll: 'England should pick George Ford, Henry Slade'

Former Ireland international Brian O'Driscoll has suggested that England coach Stuart Lancaster should select George Ford and Henry Slade for their clash with Australia next weekend.

Lancaster picked Owen Farrell over Ford at fly-half for Saturday's defeat by Wales, while Sam Burgess partnered Brad Barritt at centre, and the former British and Irish Lions captain believes that England should name a more attacking lineup to "go down fighting" on Saturday.

"From a player's perspective and an attractive rugby point of view, it would be brilliant to see George Ford back at 10 because he's a player's player," O'Driscoll told ITV Sport.

"Maybe keep Sam Burgess at 12 and have a go with Henry Slade at 13. If Jonathan Joseph isn't fit, throw Sam in. If you're going to go down, go down fighting.

"England have bit of a conundrum because Australia like a loose game and want it open. To negate that you need to play a very tight game against them. They'll probably play a very similar team just to keep it nice and tight."

O'Driscoll made 133 international appearances for Ireland, scoring 245 points.