Farrell handed keys to No 10
England co-captain given playmaker role and is called the ‘spiritual leader’ by Jones
Eddie Jones intends to invoke the “warrior spirit” of Owen Farrell, the side’s “spiritual leader”, to issue a rallying cry to his untested troops as they line up against a vastly more proven South Africa side at Twickenham tomorrow.
Jones has admitted that he has reached deeper into the barrel than he has ever done to put together a patched-up England team shorn of 400 caps in an effort “to do something special”, in the first of four Quilter internationals.
Farrell has been chosen to start at fly-half for only the third time since the Australian took over and is now in the box seat to lead England towards the World Cup in Japan from that pivotal playmaker position – the driver of the side, their prompt as well as their conscience. As co-captain for the first time also, Farrell has been identified as a key figure in taking England forward, especially in these straitened circumstances.
“Owen comes from good stock, is an aggressive competitor and we need that against South Africa, definitely,” said Jones. “He is a good decision-maker and has a very good tactical kicking game. Owen handles responsibility well. He is a bit of a spiritual leader in our side so being closer to the action will help in that regard. I want to see the difference it makes in playing Owen at 10 with bigger centres.”
The England head coach denied he was taking a gamble in opting for one of those bigger centres at No 12, Ben Te’o, even though the Worcester back has played only 28 minutes of rugby since May.
Jones is well aware of the callow nature of his forward pack – “the most inexperienced I have picked” – the contrast in the back rows being particularly stark at a factor of 10 to one as the Springboks field a trio with a century of caps between them. Seven of the eight England forwards account for a mere 72 caps, rookies against hardened Test campaigners. “It is the deepest we have had to dig,” said Jones as the squad rounded off their preparations in the Algarve before flying back to London yesterday. “We’re missing 400 caps. You don’t just replace 400 caps overnight.
“There is no such thing as a full squad any more. That is the reality of rugby, particularly up here [in Europe]. You have got to play with the cards you have got. The only time we will have any chance of getting our best team together, I now know this 100 per cent, is at the start of the World Cup camp next July. Otherwise we are going to be picking players from here, there and everywhere to try to get through the next period of time.
“But this is a great opportunity to show the potential depth of our squad – how deep can we go, how deep do we have to go? I’m not nervous, I’m excited. I back this pack to go toe-to-toe with the Springboks because they will need to. We have a chance to do something special with a young team.”
For all the misgivings about the forward pack with its ad hoc combinations, the back line has plenty to offer and has a more balanced feel to it through midfield, where Farrell has clout and muscle beside him in Te’o and creativity in Henry Slade at outside centre. There is plenty of pace there, too, with the likes of Elliot Daly and Jonny May, with the grafting, multi-layered Jack Nowell getting the nod ahead of the ace poacher of tries, Chris Ashton. Manu Tuilagi is almost certain to feature with Farrell perhaps slipping across if George Ford is also used from the bench.
Jones insists that he wants several options to play with. It is certainly a better all-round fit than in South Africa in June where the Exeter Chief was the principal banger.
“I was the bloke doing the main carrying off first phase and that’s not really my game,” said Slade. “We’ve got some big lads in the midfield to do that and play to our strengths. My game is more about being that second distributor and getting the ball to our outside backs, who are really dangerous.”
If they get the ball. Much as it is legitimate to wonder how the Test tyros will shape up, be it the Exeter trio of props – Alec Hepburn, starting at loosehead for the first time, with debutant Ben Moon on the bench alongside Chiefs’ tighthead Harry Williams – to the back-row newbies, there is plenty of get-upand-go in those ranks.
Jones has a simple message for them: “Just be brilliant at the basics,” he said. “Scrum in a good position, tackle low, carry well. The Chiefs produce those sort of players and they are a great example of their club.” Likewise, Newcastle’s Mark Wilson, at No8, is a true man of the North. The challenge is significant on so many fronts, a step into the unknown.