I’M FIRED UP
England captain Farrell has a point to prove against Argentina
OWEN FARRELL will stay true to his fiery nature as he strives to inspire England to victory over Argentina tomorrow, after being reinstated as captain.
Saracens’ 31-year- old playmaker was cleared to start against the Pumas after recovering from concussion and he will lead the national team again in the absence of Courtney Lawes.
Head coach Eddie Jones said: ‘ Owen wants to be captain,’ and the man himself added: ‘There is pride, definitely.’
Farrell is determined to bring his competitive, confrontational streak to the role, saying: ‘I want to be me and I want to work on how I can be a better me.’
Jones wants his side to be on a charm offensive with officials to avoid disciplinary disruption, so Farrell has to strike a balance in his dealings with Irish referee Andrew Brace in England’s autumn opener. Farrell said: ‘I don’t think it is necessarily what I say, it is sometimes making sure that you are giving off the right message as well.’
Jones included Farrell in a new 10-12-13 combination alongside Marcus Smith and Manu Tuilagi, with Joe Cokanasiga recalled on the wing and Alex Coles starting in the pack on his Test debut — as forecast by Sportsmail on Thursday.
THERE will be smart balls in use at Twickenham tomorrow and England will be hoping that all their best-laid plans mean there are plenty of smart home players using them.
As England prepared to launch a gruelling, four- match autumn campaign, there was one buzzword doing the rounds within the camp yesterday. Adaptability.
It has been Eddie Jones’s pet subject since the start of this season. Like a savvy traveller going abroad, the head coach knows he needs plenty of adaptors.
England have not often been market leaders when it comes to thinking on the hoof, on the field. Memories of Italy’s infamous, innovative ‘ fox’ tactic in 2017 spreading confusion in the English
ranks are still fresh in the mind. But in this era of card chaos — with players seeing red and yellow all too regularly — Jones has charged his squad with being global pioneers, who can troubleshoot and change tack without guidance from the stands.
‘ Once the whistle goes we (coaches) have very little input,’ he said. ‘So the players have to adapt to the game. We want to be at the forefront of that.’
Training in Jersey and Surrey, in the build-up to this November opener, has been geared to forcing players out of their comfort zones and into tight corners. Jones has pushed and pushed them to prove they can handle the unexpected.
It will be a tricky equation tomorrow, because England must engage hearts and heads at the same time. Tom Curry spoke during the week about the emotional qualities of the Pumas and how England have to match their pride and passion.
But England have to do so while retaining composure under pressure. The dismissal of All
Black lock Brodie Retallick in Tokyo last weekend was a timely reminder of how a marginal misjudgement can be so costly.
Jones’s side will wear black but for once there should be no desire to emulate the Kiwis. New Zealand have been wildly erratic this year and England have had their own slump, with three defeats in the Six Nations, so the subsequent series win in Australia has to be the start of a sustained spell of upward momentum.
The World Cup is 10 months away. The building and developing phase cannot go on much longer. Success Down Under was founded on spirit and unity, fight and graft, but now is the time for a few more attacking layers to emerge.
Jones says England want to hold some bright ideas back, so as not to show their hand, which is all well and good if there is a general sense of fluency and shape.
A crowd which may be short of capacity will not expect miracle plays while there are cobwebs to blow off but they will expect a base level of cohesion in possession.
The new midfield axis of Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi appears a complementary one which could ignite the attack by threading or dancing or bludgeoning through the visitors. That is the theory anyway.
None of the slick stuff can happen if the pack are under the cosh, so it will be intriguing to see how Alex Coles copes on debut at lock, whether Ellis Genge can resume his thunderous exploits on tour and whether the extra lineout jumper is the right back- row strategy. At least Jack Willis is primed on the bench if England are losing the breakdown contest.
This campaign is a World Cup audition and this fixture is a dry run for England’s opener against Argentina next September. Defeat then could send them down a perilous path in the knockout stages, so there is a major onus on them this weekend to maintain a stranglehold over these opponents which dates back to 2009.
Argentina pose a genuine threat. Captain Julian Montoya has been magnificent for Leicester since the hooker arrived in the East Midlands. Mateo Carreras has been carving up defences at Newcastle. They have the imperious Pablo Matera and dangerous hitman Marcos Kremer in the back row.
During the summer, they beat the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time. But after that they fell away, shipping 53 points against the Kiwis in the next match.
Head coach Michael Cheika has divided his time between Argentina and Lebanon’s rugby league team, hardly ideal preparation for a daunting assignment at Twickenham.
Such disruption will do little for the Pumas’ prospects here and England should win. Whether they win with a flourish is another matter. It will come down to smart use of the smart balls.