Awesome Farrell is England’s best shout at No10 and must wear the shirt

Only the lack of an alternative at inside centre is stopping Saracens playmaker from making the role his own in Eddie Jones’s team

Owen Farrell silences you and deafens you all at the same time. He shuts you up because there is no way you can question his ability or talent in the No10 jersey. Chat as much as you want, as loudly as you want, about the merits of George Ford and Danny Cipriani, but when it comes to Farrell, there is nothing to discuss; the lad has got the T-shirt at club, international and British and Irish Lions level.

No one is born a great player. It takes time and hard work. Luckily, Farrell is an extraordinary competitor and has the aura and mental strength that comes with always trying to be the best version of himself all the time.

Andrew Strauss, the former England cricket captain, tells a story about trying to sledge Shane Warne. It was early on in Strauss’s career and Ashley Giles had managed to get Warne to play and miss. Strauss, standing at slip, shouted: “Great bowling, Gilo, he’s struggling here.” It was, at best, an average-to-poor sledge. Warne turned to Strauss and put him in his place: “The only person out here struggling is you, mate.” Warne hit Giles immediately for six.

There are certain players you do not go after mentally. Warne was one, Farrell is another. But while he can shut you up, Farrell is also one of the noisiest players I have ever come across. I do not think I have ever heard anyone make as much of a racket from the opening whistle to the final whistle.

If he thinks players on his inside in the defensive line can go and make a hit or apply pressure on the ball, he demands they “go, get him”, “go, get them”. If you ever get the chance to use a referee’s microphone radio and Farrell is playing, it is a great education.

He is just as noisy when he is on the attacking side, pointing, calling, dictating the terms of engagement. Woe betide any player who does not deliver, or who takes a moment to rest or fails to engage in the moment with total commitment.