Owen: Bring on the All Blacks..!
OWEN Farrell insists England have rediscovered their mojo after they warmed up for the main event of the autumn against New Zealand by crushing Japan at Twickenham.
A seven-try drubbing of underwhelming opposition was a significant improvement after the dismal upset by Argentina, Farrell emerging as the ringmaster of a welcome return to heads-up rugby.
Next up are New Zealand in a long-awaited fixture because of its sheer scarcity value – the All Blacks have visited Twickenham just once since 2015 with the nations meeting only twice over the last eight years.
Farrell believes England enter Saturday’s clash with renewed purpose after liberating themselves of the over-thinking that he said had blunted their attack against the Pumas
“It definitely felt like a step in the right direction. It felt more like us, it felt more like what we are capable of, although we are not there yet,” said the team captain.
“There are a few things to tidy up but in terms of intent, in terms of getting the best out of ourselves, that was miles better.
“Now we’ll see where we can take it against New Zealand. We’ve got seven days together now to see how much better we can get.
“We will see how much closer we can get, see how much tighter we can become as a team, push our rugby a bit and make sure we turn up with the right attitude again.”
At the heart of England’s most exhilarating moments was towering 21-year-old full-back Freddie Steward, who ran in a try and was influential in two more as well as commanding the air with customary authority.
For all the fireworks in attack, though, the jury remains out on Farrell’s creative axis with fly-half Marcus Smith.
Farrell produced one of his better displays at inside centre by launching the backline with kicks and passes, but Smith was error prone with his two tries saving his afternoon.
“We think Marcus and Owen can be really good together but, like any strategy, the strategy has got to keep having results,” said head coach Eddie Jones.