ROLL OUT THE FARRELL
‘Exceptional’ Owen back to take on the Aussies
EDDIE JONES wants England’s “water boy” to get the chariot back on track against Australia.
Owen Farrell spent last Saturday’s game against Argentina running drinks and messages to his team-mates on the field.
But England struggled without him and, with the Wallabies firing on all cylinders, Jones has decided he needs his star player running the team this weekend.
The Red Rose boss ( right) is set to reinstate Farrell at insidecentre, alongside either Henry Slade or Jonathan Joseph. He will get no complaints.
“Faz is a brilliant leader and an exceptional player – one of the most focused I’ve ever come across,” Courtney Lawes said. “He leads by example and wants to drag other people up to that level. You need those kind of players in your team, definitely.”
England have won all four games against Australia since the Wallabies bundled them out of their own World Cup, with Farrell contributing 81 points.
Without him, the lowly-ranked Pumas bossed possession and territory at Twickenham and might well have won, had they been in possession of a goalkicker. Farrell “hated” being stood down from national duty, according to Jones, yet still brought his influence to bear in helping England get over the line. “It was weird standing there for the anthem, Faz standing opposite us looking our way,” admitted man- of- the- match Mako Vunipola. “When he’s not in the side, you can see you’re missing a bit of presence. But he came on, kept the messages simple and clear, and made sure the boys knew what the coaches wanted. “One hundred per cent he will be a coach one day, it just depends when – because he’s already coaching now and doing a great job. “When you think you’ve reached a level where there’s nothing more you can learn, he comes up with something small that makes a massive difference.” England are to give full-back Mike Brown until this morning to prove his fitness, after his head knock five days ago. In his absence, Anthony Watson will likely move to 15.