Captain’s log: Alun’s ageless, Farrell flops

A TALE of two captains left Warren Gatland purring and Eddie Jones with furrowed brow.

Gatland was lauded by Jones for his “great achievement” in winning a third Grand Slam after skipper Alun Wyn Jones inspired Wales to emphatically dethrone Ireland.

In contrast, England captain Owen Farrell had two kicks charged down for tries, was fortunate to escape a red card and was taken off early as England collapsed at Twickenham.

“Owen lost a bit of his edge,” said coach Jones, right. “He’s the hardest taskmaster in the world and he’ll be disappointed with his game. But he’s a young captain and like any young captain it takes time. You don’t put a C next to someone’s name and they learn every lesson on how to manage a game.”

This is not a concern for Wales given that their captain boasts 134 caps and grows in influence by the week but it is becoming one for England. There is a reason few fly-halves skipper sides at Test level, and World Cup winner Paul Grayson fears too much is being asked of Farrell.

“I feel Owen Farrell’s job spec is so big that the full captaincy on his own is a massive ask,” said the former England No10. “He has so much on his plate as fly-half that when England got into trouble against Wales and Scotland maybe he tries to do it all and he loses himself.

“He got himself into another messy collision, which maybe happens when he is under stress and trying to fix things on his own. Maybe having finishers like Dylan Hartley coming off the bench in the final quarter with a calm head is something Eddie looks at.”