England teammate says kicking god Wilkinson shaped Farrell in his own image and now he's 'a talent you very rarely see'
Jonny Wilkinson, the greatest kicker in English rugby history, has helped turn Owen Farrell into the biggest threat to New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.
With the All Blacks determined to impose their hi-octane attacking rugby on England at Twickenham, Farrell will be tasked with punishing the World’s top-ranked team from the tee and putting them into reverse with kicking skills honed under Wilkinson’s tuition.
Farrell, who has scored 699 points in 62 tests for his country, will attempt to repeat the victory he celebrated in 2012 when England dramatically ended the All Blacks 20 game unbeaten run with a remarkable 38-21 triumph.
However, that is the only England win in the last 15 matches with the All Blacks to highlight the enormity of the task at Twickenham on Saturday where Farrell’s kicking will carry the hopes of the entire country.
Wilkinson had to deal with exactly the same kind of pressure during his World Cup winning career and the man who scored a remarkable 1,246 points – putting him second to Dan Carter – helps Farrell with his kicking as a part-time member of the England coaching staff. Alex Goode, the England and Saracens fullback, was also in the team that defeated the All Blacks six years ago and has seen Wilkinson’s input turn 27-year-old Farrell into the outstanding kicker in the sport.
Goode explained: “Owen has a very big talent and knows exactly what he wants to achieve and is able to deliver the full range of kicks under pressure.
“Owen and Jonny have come out of the same mould in terms of perfection and trying to improve. Owen does a lot of work with Jonny and it is no surprise to see how good his kicking has become.
“The work he does with Jonny has given Owen real precision with his kicking and he is constantly practising so that he knows exactly where that ball is going to land.
“I don’t think I have ever come across someone who, without question, improves with his goalkicking when the pressure gets even more intense.
“That final kick against South Africa last Saturday from the touchline is a great example and it is a talent you very rarely see. I beat him in a kicking contest at the club but there is no way I would beat him in a game situation because he goes to a different level and that is his mentality. He didn’t care about beating me!”
Saracens kick-chase is unmatched in the Northern Hemisphere and Farrell’s ability to give the ball crucial hang-time and land it just outside the opposition 22 will have been forensically studied by the All Blacks in their tactical meetings this week in London. With the All Blacks possessing the best counter-attacking threat in test rugby, delivering a flawless kicking game will be vital and Goode added: “Owen has the ability to punch the ball one bounce into corners, put the high balls up and also deliver the short kicks, the kind you see in rugby league.
“It’s not that Owen gets more hang time than anyone else, it’s that he has a very specific target in mind and he can hit it nine times out of ten within a yard. He gives the chaser the best chance of getting the ball back.”
All Black Ben Smith is a brilliantly balanced counter-attack runner and will be eager to punish any loose kicks that come his way. He said: “Territory is a big part of the way they play and their kicking game allows them to do that so we are going to have to have good plans around how we defuse that and we will go from there.
“We’ll get our chance when we’re kicking the ball to get it back, so it’s all about making the most of our opportunities. We know we are going to have to put in a bit of work on that this week and I think it’s an awesome challenge for us as a back unit to see how we go in that department.
“Obviously if they’re not quite on the money then we’re going to have a plan and it does open up an opportunity if we’re smart so we have to make sure we’re all aligned. It’s a big challenge for us for this week because it’s a big part of their game to nail it so they can get into their game at the right end of the field.”
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
60 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
60 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
60 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
60 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
60 Go to comments