England claim to have learnt but

It is one of those mini-milestones that causes a double take. On Saturday, Owen Farrell captained England for the 23rd time, overtaking the totals of Lawrence Dallaglio and Bill Beaumont. Only three men have led England on more occasions.

As a leader of men, Farrell’s qualities are not in dispute. He commands total respect from the squad, his commitment and passion to the cause are absolute. As a captain on the field, however, questions remain. Tomorrow marks the twoyear anniversary since he took the role for the first time. In that time, Farrell seems to be no closer to getting a lid on his tempestuous nature or to building a productive rapport with the officials.

During England’s roller-coaster victory over Wales at Twickenham, Farrell was penalised four times by referee Ben O’keeffe inside the first 30 minutes. Maybe his status as captain saved him from a yellow card that surely would have been automatic for any other player, but for a leader whose responsibility it is to get on the right side of the officials, he set a terrible example.

The first offence came after he tackled Wales wing George North on the English try-line. Farrell was caught by an accidental elbow by Courtney Lawes and reacted by shoving North in the chest, sparking a melee. The contact as O’keeffe said, was “minimal” but it resulted in a Welsh knock-on being reversed to a penalty, which Leigh Halfpenny kicked. O’keeffe then warned both Farrell and counterpart Alun Wyn Jones: “I need you, as captains, to take control of the team.”

Yet what happens when it is the captain who needs controlling? Farrell’s aggression is a wonderful quality in many respects, but too often it appears untamed. He sets the tone in defence with his line speed and bite in the tackle.

That means playing right on the edge, as was evident when he was pinged twice in the same Welsh move, firstly for being offside with George Ford and then for a joint high tackle with Manu Tuilagi. The result was another three points for Halfpenny.

Then North gained a measure of revenge on the England centre, cannily trapping him the wrong side of the tackle, which O’keeffe penalised despite Farrell’s protests that became ever more shrill as the game went on. There is far more to being a captain than simply dealing with the referee, but it remains a fundamen

tal part of the role and if Farrell has not learnt this now, then when?

The captain’s issues with discipline and control reflect the team’s wider struggles. So, does the scoreboard actually lie? Did England only just escape with a three-point victory because the clock was on their side, or have they learnt the lessons of last year’s collapses against Wales and Scotland with a dominant display? It is so hard to make sense of this England team, who can seem in such command for such long periods, only to have the match inexplicably veer out of control like a rogue supermarket trolley.

At 20-6 up with possession in first-half injury time, they suddenly found themselves with a slender four-point advantage within a minute of the restart after Dan Biggar’s penalty and Justin Tipuric’s wonder try that seems so cruelly overshadowed by the grabbing of genitals.

This time, the wobble did not become a collapse. Courtney Lawes almost immediately won a penalty at the breakdown, which allowed Farrell to kick a penalty that sapped Wales’s momentum. “Even under the posts, we stood around and went: ‘We’ve actually been here before lads, and we know what the answers are’,” George Kruis, the second row, said. “That, right there, is probably an improvement from where it was before.”

Again, England built their lead through a Ford penalty before Tuihave lagi finished off an excellent break by Ben Youngs to score the third try. The only question was whether they would register a bonus point.

Instead, they were left hanging as Ellis Genge took a team sin-binning and then Tuilagi was sent off for a shoulder charge on North. With four minutes left, there was probably never enough time for Wayne Pivac’s side to complete a comeback, but Biggar’s converted score and Tipuric’s second try ensured more than a few hearts in mouths.

In those frantic closing stages when England needed to be at their most disciplined, Farrell was charging around in defence trying to do the job of three players.