Just as World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett was grounding the ball for New Zealand’s second try against Ireland in Dublin, England head coach Eddie Jones was at Twickenham claiming he had a player better than the All Blacks fly-half.

George Ford played a starring role in the 58-15 demolition of Fiji as England ran in nine tries, with the Bath man pulling the strings in midfield alongside his wingman Owen Farrell.

The pair combined superbly throughout to release the likes of Elliot Daly, Jonathan Joseph, Alex Goode and Semesa Rokoduguni – all of whom crossed the whitewash.

Ford’s long-pass for Daly’s maiden try was a particular highlight and an example of how well the 23-year-old has reacted after he was dropped for England’s opening win in the series whitewash against Australia Down Under during the summer.

That was not lost on the meticulous Jones, who believes he has now settled into the No 10 position so well that he can rival Barrett in many departments, while surpassing him in others.

“He probably feels a sense of security and I think he enjoys the sort of rugby we’re trying to play. He’s got a beautiful skills-set,” said Jones after the victory.

“I think he can be better than Beauden Barrett – no doubt about that. People rave about Beauden Barrett but I don’t. I don’t want to go into it any more than that.

“I just think he’s got a great feel for the game. He sees opportunities. He needs to work on his running game a bit, which we will work on.

“He needs to be more of a threat himself. He’s actually too selfless. He needs to be a bit more selfish with the ball at times and he will start to develop that in his game.”

When pushed on his comments about Barrett, whom he correctly predicted would be named the world’s best rugby player, Jones mischievously answered: “I don’t pick the Player of the Year.

“Yeah [I said Barrett would win] because the Kiwis run everything mate. When you run everything, you’ve got a good chance of winning it.”

Beauden Barret scored in New Zealand's 21-9 win over Ireland on Saturday (Getty)

However, Ford, who has been linked with a move to Toulon after reportedly triggering the release clause in his Bath contract, insisted he was still learning from the best fly-halves in the world in order to improve his game.

“I try to watch as many games as possible,” he said. “Especially the other fly-halves around the world.

“It’s intriguing to watch how the others play, how they manage the game, how they attack, how they defend, their kicking game.

“You can always pick things up and learn things and be a student of the game and learn by watching as many games as possible and by learning from the best players in the world. It’s something I enjoy doing.”

It is the attacking side of his game which Jones wants Ford to work on, with the view of him becoming another try threat rather than just the playmaker he is already.

England vs Fiji player ratings Show all 15 1 /15 England vs Fiji player ratings England vs Fiji player ratings Alex-Goode.jpg Age: 27

Club: Saracens

Caps: 19

Tries:> 0

Penalties:> 1

Points: 3 Getty England vs Fiji player ratings gsemesa-rokoduguni.jpg LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 18: Semesa Rokoduguni looks on during the England captain's run at Twickenham Stadium on November 18, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images) Getty England vs Fiji player ratings Jonathan-Joseph.jpg Jonathan Joseph scored four tries in last year’s Six Nations Getty England vs Fiji player ratings owen-farrell.jpg Farrell has flourished since moving to inside centre Getty England vs Fiji player ratings elliot-daly.jpg Elliot Daly impressed on his first start for England but shifts to the wing against Fiji Getty England vs Fiji player ratings george-ford.jpg Ford scored a try in Saturday's 37-21 victory over South Africa Getty England vs Fiji player ratings ben-youngs.jpg The scrum-half relieved the pressure for England on a number of occasions as his touch-finding box kicks got his side out of sticky situations. Looks increasingly the starting scrum-half, with Danny Care’s pace able to finish games. Getty England vs Fiji player ratings mako-vunipola.jpg Did the bulk of the carrying along with his brother the great effect and rarely went backwards. His scrummaging has come on over the last year, but while he held his own in the front-row it’s still an area of slight weakness for the Saracen. That said, there wasn’t much else to fault him on. Getty England vs Fiji player ratings dylan-hartley.jpg Reliable as ever at the lineout, though the return of Wood gave him plenty of options in the air. Not as prominent in the loose, and didn’t have too much to do defensively as South Africa lacked ideas beyond one-out rugby. Getty England vs Fiji player ratings dan-cole.jpg Penalised early on for coming in at the side, but made up for it with a turnover penalty of his own. A force in defence, and coped well with the Beast in the scrum. Getty England vs Fiji player ratings joe-launchbury.jpg Stepped into the shoes of the absent Maro Itoje, and flourished on his return to the fold. While Itoje does the prominent work, Launchbury did a lot of the hidden stuff that gave England the platform to attack. Strong work in the air at the lineout. Getty England vs Fiji player ratings courtney-lawes.jpg Led the side out on his 50th cap and was celebrating 36 minutes later. Alert enough to dive on the ball after Brown’s apparent knock-on that proved otherwise after a TMO review. Looked to take on a much smarter role than his usual ‘enforcer’ self. Getty England vs Fiji player ratings chris-robshaw.jpg Thudding hit on Paige won possession for his side in the first-half and set the tone for his own performance. Worked hard to rush out from the first marker role and cut-off any inside balls. Getty England vs Fiji player ratings gettyimages-624103222.jpg LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 18: Teimana Harrison runs with the ball during the England captain's run at Twickenham Stadium on November 18, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images) Getty Images England vs Fiji player ratings billy-vunipola.jpg Disappointed the crowd when he turned down an early chance to run at the Boks by calling mark, but soon announced his arrival with a barnstorming run through the middle. Another burst saw off Etzebeth as he left the field with a rattled head. Not his finest performance, but it was still one of the standout showings. Getty

And Ford agreed with his boss, insisting the tries will come the more time he spends with the England set-up.

“Yeah I think you always want to be a threat yourself,” Ford added. “The way we play here we need numbers around you and guys running lines off you.

“We’re getting back into the swing of things in the way you train. The more we train together, the more games and time we have together, I think more opportunities will come along to do that.