PERFECT 10
England’s Owen Farrell is a brilliant stand-off who has all the bases covered. He’s my. . .
ALONG with Jonny Wilkinson, Owen Farrell is by a long way the best player I have seen wear No 10 for England. This will be his 10th Test as captain, and this could be a coming- of-age afternoon for him in Cardiff tomorrow. If England win, as I expect them to do against Wales, he will be the nailed-on leader for the World Cup.
As with Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones, Farrell is the one guy who must be stopped if the opposition are to have any chance of winning.
Farrell is so important to England — he plays No 10, is captain, kicks for goal, has to lead by example and talk to the referee. You very rarely get that in one player.
I’ve always been a huge fan of his and below is why I think he has become one of the best in the game. LEADERSHIP AND TEMPERAMENT I REMEMBER watching his dad, Andy, playing in a rugby league Grand Final for Wigan at Old Trafford back in 1998 when I had just become England coach — he was immense.
Andy kicked three goals that day as Wigan beat Leeds Rhinos 10-4; he was a real leader and captained England, Great Britain and a great Wigan side from a young age. So leadership is in Owen’s genes.
Six years ago he was part of the England team who lost 30-3 in Cardiff when chasing a Six Nations Grand Slam — his side and their coach Stuart Lancaster were not ready for what hit them. But tomorrow I expect Farrell to revel in the atmosphere and occasion.
Wales have to get to him, legally, and attack England’s main strength to somehow disrupt his game. If they don’t, put simply, England will win.
When Farrell crosses the white line he becomes a different person. He has a fuse, but it is much longer these days. He has matured.
He’s aggressive, no-nonsense and won’t take a backward step and you never want to take that out of him — but he’s learnt to count to three before he reacts.
Making him captain has helped him as he must stay calm, talk to referees and manage situations. People still won’t want to mix it with him, though.
If the crowd start booing him in the Principality Stadium it will be a sheer sign of respect. I used to take it that way when they jeered me if my picture came up on the big screen. If you’re applauded in Wales, you’re in big trouble!
Farrell will get heaps and should take it as a badge of honour. He has won the respect of the Celts from recent Lions tours more than any Englishman since the days of Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio — he’s the talisman.
PLAYMAKING ABILITY
FARRELL has always been a No 10. He may have started 28 of his 67 England Tests at centre, and two out of three Tests for the Lions, but his whole attitude, approach and ability suit the fly-half role.
It’s only since November that Eddie Jones has made him the outand-out No 10, with George Ford a very able back-up, which is how it should be. Ford is vital to this team too, though.
The subsidence of the whole Danny Cipriani debate has also helped to clarify things. Farrell is your No 1, Ford No 2 and Cipriani is — at best — No 3 to play fly-half for England, and even that is open to question.
England are in such a strong position now with that clarity of who is their playmaker. The big difference between a muddly 2018 and 2019 is that Farrell is settled, in his right positon and flying.
I am sure he prefers it there, too. It’s a bit like coming through as a centre and being stuck on the wing — if you’re a fly-half you want to play in your gun position.
And with Farrell and Ben Youngs now I think England have half-backs they can totally trust.
Farrell’s decision- making and communication skills are excellent. Everyone knows what’s going on thanks to his clear signals.
Let’s not forget, Farrell has been around the elite game since he was a kid, following his dad around rugby league changing rooms, so has such a good understanding of the sport.
His ability to dictate and read the game is outstanding.
ATTACK
FARRELL’S passing game — off both hands — is right up there with the best.
That righthand pass he made to put Jonny May in for the early try against Ireland in Dublin at the start of the tournament was amazing.
He is capable of lying deep in the ‘shotgun’ position when he needs to dictate from further back — and kick — and playing flat-to-the-line.
When he does the latter I think he’s tougher than Ireland’s Johnny Sexton, the other top fly-half in this Championship. You see Sexton getting a belting by defences when passing, but Farrell seems to thrive on that.
One thing he would like to add is a yard of pace, but he gets away with it because his footwork and offloading ability are second to none.
DEFENCE
IT is OK to be a good passer of the ball at fly-half, but defensively you have to be up to it, too.
Farrell, like Wilkinson, is ferocious. I tried so many times to leave Jonny out of defensive sessions but he just ignored me! He loved the physical side of the game, and so does Farrell.
Normally a team’s game-plan is to go down the fly-half channel and try to expose a weaker tackler — but if you go down Farrell’s channel you’re getting nothing.
To have him alongside Manu Tuilagi is formidable. An attack will think, ‘Where are we going to go?’ This season, Farrell has made 54 tackles in six Tests, with only Mark Wilson, Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes making more for England. That shows the defensive work he gets through. He loves it.
KICKING
FARRELL’S kicking ability affects how teams play against England. You know you can’t give away penalties or play loosely with such a formidable goalkicker in the opposition side. It helps having Elliot Daly alongside too, who can hit the really long ones, but Farrell is the main man and hardly misses. That is vital to any top side who have World Cup ambitions — goalkicking counts.