Owen is right man to be captain

THIS has already been a tough year for England and the absence of Dylan Hartley for this summer’s tour of South Africa is another significant blow. I know some have been calling for Hartley to be dropped but after the winter England have endured he is one of the players I would have wanted running out against the Springboks for the first Test at Ellis Park. After three straight defeats to conclude their Six Nations, England are really looking down the barrel and now they need all their warrior players on duty. South Africa on their home turf is exactly the kind of series that would have seen

Hartley at his very best and most motivated. With him missing, the most important short-term decision is the appointment of England’s captain for the tour. In my estimation, it must be Owen Farrell. England had hoped to rest senior players after two busy summers in succession — in Australia in 2016 and the Lions in New Zealand last year — but South Africa has now become a must-tour trip. England must get the show back on the road, so it’s all hands to the pump. And if England do rest anybody they are basically admitting that the RFU and English rugby have been getting the player welfare balance wrong. That is the reason I fell out with the RFU 14 years ago — nothing has changed. Such is the need for England to regain some momentum that unless there really is a pressing fatigue or physical issue with Farrell, he must captain the side. At hooker, Jamie George demonstrated on the Lions tour of New Zealand that he has what it takes to perform in the really big games. George will be pushed hard by Luke Cowan-Dickie, who has enjoyed a storming second half of the season for Exeter Chiefs but that’s fine, Eddie Jones wants and needs fierce selection battles in key positions. Potentially both players have the opportunity to lay down a marker for the future but it is the present that England need to concentrate on.