As England head coach Eddie Jones prepares to make his first team announcement for the upcoming Six Nations, speculation among fans, coaches and the media concerning player selection is as high as it has ever been.

Despite Sale Sharks recently being crowned Kings of the North, as well as George Ford and Owen Farrell both hailing from these parts, there is a tangible difference between rugby in the North West and the rest of the country.

Oldham’s George Ford has held off Owen Farrell to start at 10 for England in tonight’s World Cup opener against Fiji, but this is far from the first time the two have competed head-to-head.

Danny Cipriani can be the game-breaker at fly-half for England this World Cup according to former Sale Sharks team-mate and ex-Red Rose winger Mark Cueto.

The George Ford or Owen Farrell discussion is likely to dominate English rugby for many years to come but England’s current incumbent of the fly-half jersey downplayed the importance of their latest head-to-head battle in the Aviva Premiership final.

Premiership player of year George Ford and Owen Farrell – a British & Irish Lion and still just 23 – will go head-to-head in pursuit of the fly-half starting berth at this year’s World Cup with Danny Cipriani waiting in the wings.

Despite winning three league games in a row going into Saturday’s match, Sale were unable carry their good form into Europe losing 19-15 courtesy of tries from Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola.

Cipriani produced a moment of magic in order the seal Sharks’ hat-trick of wins in the Aviva Premiership last weekend and tomorrow afternoon he has another chance to prove himself to England selectors after being omitted from the autumn internationals squad.