Farrell fury after Jones names Lawes as captain

Centre ‘very unhappy’ after four years leading England Coach may reverse call but hints at tension between pair

Eddie Jones, the England head coach, revealed that Owen Farrell was “very unhappy” at being stripped of the captaincy, but did not rule out the possibility of him taking back the role.

Northampton flanker Courtney Lawes, who stood in for Farrell during his absences in the autumn and Six Nations, will continue to lead England during the three-test series in Australia that starts tomorrow in Perth.

Jones hinted that there may be some tension between Lawes and Farrell, who is starting his first match since the 32-15 defeat of Australia last November after back-toback ankle injuries. “It is a difficult situation but they are both good players, good team-mates, and they’re working it out,” Jones said.

Veterans Danny Care and Billy Vunipola also return to the starting XV having previously fallen out of favour with Jones. On the bench, there are an uncapped trio of backs in the shape of Jack van Poortvliet, Guy Porter and Henry Arundell, who earned his place as a replacement apprentice off the back of scoring a wonder try in training.

Jones’s boldest selection was in making Lawes his captain over Farrell, who has been his leader since 2018. Jones described Farrell’s reaction as “very unhappy” but suggested that the captaincy may have been a burden on the Saracens playmaker. Yet Jones also opened the door to Farrell assuming his previous responsibilities before the 2023 World Cup.

“I didn’t expect him to be happy, I expected him to be unhappy and it was just the sort of reaction I wanted because that is the sort of player he is,” Jones said. “The thing is he has got less responsibility,

therefore he can focus more on his play, which I think for Owen and the team is important.

“The decision has been made because we want Owen to be at his best and we feel, given the time he has been out, we want him to focus on being the best player he can be. We feel there is enough on his plate being inside centre, he has got a young 10 next to him and that is the right role for him on this tour. “He’s a winner, Owen. He’s played 94 Tests and won every trophy apart from the World Cup and has a silver medal, which is more than most people have got. He’s been part of successful, winning teams and will come back to our team and add considerably. We want him to focus on his game, develop his game, and once he’s got his game strong then we’ll look at the captaincy again.”