Owen’s the man Jones can trust
THERE has been much talk about Danny Cipriani’s omission from the England training squad. The decision has thrown the entire subject of the England fly-half berth into the spotlight again and leads me to think that Owen Farrell will be playing there sooner rather than later and certainly at the World Cup. There are all sorts of factors at play here, so let’s pick through a few of them. First, whether Cipriani can regain Eddie Jones’s trust is the most crucial element, and let’s face it, Eddie was slow to bring him into the squad initially. The dynamic of a player-coach relationship is a delicate thing. Eddie, quite rightly, may not currently be ready to give him another go, but that may change. The World Cup is drawing close and other key players may get injured, so he has a chance. For now though he is off the scene so that leaves us with George Ford and Farrell. Ford, who lost the England starting spot to Cipriani for the last Test in South Africa, has enjoyed two very good games for Leicester after the openingday debacle at Exeter and looks to be rediscovering his attacking fluency. If he can keep that going there would be a strong temptation to reignite the FordFarrell axis which served England so well during the first two years of Eddie’s tenure. However, I increasingly believe that he will turn to Farrell at 10, with Ford on the bench. There are two reasons for this. When push comes to shove, it is still the most important position on the park by a long way in terms of making key calls. Flyhalves are the quarterbacks of Test rugby. When you play the really important games it helps if your most dependable player is occupying that position. Think Grant Fox, Michael Lynagh, Joel Stransky, Stephen Larkham, Jonny Wilkson, Dan Carter at various World Cups. Some list. They are a breed apart and need to be. For England, Farrell, ultimately, is that man, which isn’t to say he doesn’t perform exceptionally well at 12. When I picture England running out for a World Cup quarter-final, however, it is Farrell wearing the No 10 shirt and driving the team on. He is a player I would trust under the pressure that only a World Cup can bring. There is a second reason, though. Finding a centre partnership remains one of England’s biggest issues, not helped by injuries to Jonathan Joseph and Ben Te’o.
What I have seen already this season is Henry Slade on fire and Manu Tuilagi showing signs of a return to full fitness.
Now this makes it really interesting. For me Slade, although he is currently shining at 13, has the skillset of a Test 12, meaning he could play No 10 at a push, which is what all 12s should be able to do. Slade could fulfil Farrell’s current role at 12 and if given real time could be sensational for England.
Meanwhile, although I once felt that Manu could be a formidable Test 12, I now believe that is no longer possible. However, he could make a big impact with England as a powerhouse 13.
Despite a poor 2018 to date, I am excited for Eddie and this group of players — the next 12 months will make or break him, but he realises he has the team to win in Japan.
He knows he has the firepower to go head to head with anyone. He also knows that the player with No 10 on his back is his most important decision — he does not want to be sitting on Bondi beach in 12 months thinking he has bottled a big selection call.
If everyone is fit, the back division I would not want to play against would be: 9 Youngs, 10 Farrell, 11 Daly, 12 Slade, 13 Tuilagi, 14 Ashton, 15 Watson — this lot with a fired-up pack would take some stopping, with the key player being Farrell at 10.
Meanwhile Cipriani is still in the frame as long as he accepts that players like Farrell and Ford are currently considered better suited by the coach. What happened in Jersey was not a minor incident for a player who has a coach, a team and the country needing to trust him if they are to achieve the ultimate.