Farrell form is holding English back, says Dawson
ENGLAND World Cup winner Matt Dawson has warned Owen Farrell is ‘holding England back’ ahead of their Six Nations showdown with Wales in Cardiff.
Dawson, scrum-half when England conquered the world in 2003, spelt out his concerns after Eddie Jones’s men beat Italy to follow up their shock opening loss to Scotland.
Next up for Farrell and his team are a resurgent Wales side, who have won two out of two and will be gunning for the Triple Crown at the Principality Stadium.
Dawson argued England’s backs aren’t firing on full cylinders and appears to point the finger of blame at their captain.
He says a 10-12 axis of George Ford and Worcester star Ollie Lawrence might suit England better against Wales’s defence and free up the tryscoring threat of Jonny May, Anthony Watson and Henry Slade.
“Owen Farrell is an England great but right now it is as if he does not fit in the side’s attacking structure,” Dawson wrote in a column for the BBC.
“Whatever is going on in his rugby, he is under pressure. You could see it at times when he was talking to the referee.
“Farrell was scrapping, fighting, and was lucky he was not punished for a late tackle on Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney.
“He is on the edge. He will not like it, but we have each been there and it has got to be recognised by selection.
“It does not mean Farrell is not going to be a world-class player, but there just needs to be a bit of coaching and training – maybe away from the side.
“Something needs to happen, because it is holding England back.
“There were moments when he was not sharp, dropping the ball or knocking it on.
“That may be because he has not been playing while Saracens wait for the Championship to begin.
“You do not lose your worldclass status and talent because of a couple of poor games, but it has been an extended period where he has not been lighting it up.
“Jones could easily have rested Farrell this week, saying he had a knock and wanted his captain fit for the Wales game in two weeks.
“It would have been a bit of a story but you could probably have got away with it because it was Italy.
“If they do not include him against Wales – which is not going to happen, he is going to play – it is such a big game that it would be massive news.”
JOSE Mourinho has told Real Madrid he does not want to keep Gareth Bale at Tottenham beyond this season, according to reports in Spain.
The Welshman rejoined Spurs on loan for the duration of the 2020-21 campaign in the summer transfer window but has endured a difficult time since moving back to North London.
He has been restricted to just six Premier League appearances under Mourinho, while three of his four goals have come in the Europa League and the FA Cup.
His latest post on Instagram angered Mourinho after the Portuguese claimed Bale missed his side’s 5-4 FA Cup fifth-round loss to Everton after complaining about his fitness.
However, Mourinho claims the Wales ace contradicted his initial comments by posting the message “Good session today” alongside an image of him during a training session on the social media website.
And Defensa Central claims that Mourinho has expressed his “discontent” and “disappointment” with Bale to Real Madrid’s president Florentino Perez.
The report also states that the Tottenham boss has told Perez he is “fed up” with the 31-yearold Welshman.
When his current loan stint with Spurs comes to an end, Bale will still have one year left to run on his contract with Real Madrid.
And the 87-cap Wales international’s former Tottenham team-mate Dimitar Berbatov has branded Bale’s return to his former club as a “nightmare”.
“A lot has been said about Gareth Bale following Mourinho’s comments after Bale ruled himself out of playing in Spurs’ 5-4 defeat to Everton in the FA Cup,” he wrote in a column for Betfair.
“If Bale had a scan and there was a problem that may lead to an injury then I can understand why he didn’t want to play.
“If there was nothing, and he was free to play, then his desire not to play is a problem.
“What does it mean to say you’re too uncomfortable to play if you are not injured? It must be translated as something, I don’t know what that may be, but the situation is complicated and obviously Mourinho isn’t happy.
“Bale’s return started with a lot of fanfare, but it’s slowly but surely turning out to be a nightmare. It’s a bad situation for the team, for the player and for the manager, and that isn’t pleasant to see and watch.
“Honestly, I don’t see how this situation can be resolved.”