Farrell is a perfect captain ...

HE’D LAST 80 MINUTES

OWEN FARRELL is certainly well placed to take over the England captaincy in the near future, if Eddie Jones should decide that he wants continuity of leadership over 80 minutes of every Test.

As has become familiar, current skipper Dylan Hartley was a spectator for the last 25 minutes of the national team’s last match. The difference this time was that they lost — to Scotland at Murrayfield.

So the captaincy is in focus again, but there is little chance of Jones ditching Hartley. The hooker will lead from the front at the Stade de France on Saturday, in a literal as well as a figurative sense, and that is part of the problem.

The pattern has become Hartley as the two-thirds captain and Farrell as the one-third deputy, in terms of minutes in charge on the field. Hartley has only played the full 80 twice in 25 appearances under Jones, while Farrell has only been replaced three times. .

Sir Clive Woodward reacted to England’s defeat in Scotland by once again casting doubt on the wisdom of removing the skipper so early. In response, Jones said: ‘It’s very hard for front-row forwards to play 80 minutes now. The game has changed in terms of intensity.’

By making that point, the Australian effectively made a strong case to turn to Farrell (right). He is already a primary decision-maker and leader. And he stays on the field, more often than not.

That provides continuity, with the caveat that he still has to polish his interaction with referees.

As a rule, the starting scrumhalf comes off during the second half of Tests, which leaves two backs on the bench, to cover six places. In contrast, all three frontrowers are changed in most matches. One of the two locks also tends to go off, which means that Farrell is a more stable captaincy candidate than Maro Itoje. On the basis of likely staying power, along with involvement in the ebb and flow of a game, the ideal leaders are to be found in the back row and at 10 or 12. Yet, in this Six Nations, three of the six captains — England, France and Ireland — are hookers. England’s last long-term backline captain was Will Carling. However, being a few steps removed from contact areas should be an asset allowing for greater awareness and clarity. A captain seeing the bigger picture is surely better than one often buried at the bottom of rucks. So Farrell is well placed, whenever Jones decides he needs to turn to him.