Owen Farrell 'very unhappy' with Eddie Jones' latest decision
Owen Farrell was “very unhappy” to be relieved of the England captaincy after Courtney Lawes was placed in charge for Saturday’s series opener against Australia in Perth.
For the first time since 2018, Farrell has been overlooked as skipper with Eddie Jones opting for Lawes after the Northampton flanker impressed in the role while deputising during the autumn and Six Nations.
Farrell has made a full recovery from the ankle injuries that have heavily disrupted his season and he features at inside centre, but the news that he would not be leading England out at Optus Stadium came was taken badly.
When asked how Farrell felt about his demotion, Jones replied: “Very unhappy.
“Owen is a bloke who expresses his feelings clearly and he wants to be captain. When I told him he wasn’t going to be captain, he wasn’t very happy. But that’s OK.
“Owen’s had a fair while out of the team and at this stage we feel it’s the best thing for the team and for Owen, because he’s a very important player for us.
“He has played 94 Tests for England and he has won every trophy in the world, apart from the World Cup. He’s a pretty fair player and he’s a very important player for us.
“We want Owen to be at his best and he’s been out of the side for a while, so it’s an opportunity for him to play three Tests back to back and produce his best.”
Jones rules out the possibility that a call which is among the biggest of his seven-year reign would have a negative impact on Farrell’s commitment to the team and stresses that Lawes’ appointment is for this series only.
Lawes initially took over when Farrell suffered the first of his two ankle injuries in the autumn and was eventually restored when the Saracens playmaker was hurt again in the build up to the Six Nations.
He is only the third front line captain used by Jones, with Dylan Hartley completing the trio, and the 33-year-old has proved a natural fit from the start.
“Courtney’s got a good sense of togetherness. He’s calm, he’s engaging with the players and he’s the right fit for this tour,” Jones said.
Danny Care’s remarkable international comeback will be complete on Saturday when, at the age of 35, he wins his 85th cap – four years after his last outing ended when he rowed with Jones.
Care’s dynamism and speed of thought is viewed as a natural fit for the hard surface at Optus Stadium and he links up with Harlequins half-back partner Marcus Smith.
Providing ball-carrying muscle are Billy Vunipola and Joe Cokanasiga, who return at number eight and left wing respectively after lengthy absences.
Vunipola has fought his way back since being included in Jones’ purge of the old guard last autumn, while his fellow Englishman of Islander heritage Cokanasiga has overcome injury and Covid.
Guy Porter, Jack van Poortvliet and Henry Arundell could make their debuts off the bench, but it is the last of this trio that is really setting pulses racing.
London Irish’s 19-year-old sensation Arundell has emerged as a try-scoring sensation in his first professional season and his stellar campaign could take a leap forward this weekend.
“Henry’s someone we’ve been monitoring during his fleeting appearances for his club,” Jones said.
“He’s got exceptional pace, he’s got the ability to beat people and he’s been able to do that in training when he’s back fit.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
All I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
169 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
169 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
169 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
169 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
169 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the deportation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
169 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
169 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
1 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
169 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
169 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
169 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
169 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
169 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
169 Go to comments