Owen Farrell was “very unhappy” at losing the England captaincy, Eddie Jones has revealed after handing the role to Courtney Lawes for the series against Australia. Farrell has captained England for more than four years whenever selected and though Jones admitted his decision has created a “difficult situation”, he believes it will bring the best out of the inside-centre.
Farrell returns to the England side for Saturday’s first Test for the first time since November but starts for his country without the captaincy for the first time since the 2018 Six Nations. The decision is an echo of when Jones switched from Dylan Hartley to Farrell in the buildup to the 2019 World Cup – they were co-captains the previous autumn – and while the head coach insisted it was a move with only the Wallabies series in mind, it is a significant signpost towards France in 2023.
