Owen Farrell has been acclaimed as an “icon of the game” who will lead England’s resistance this autumn, but Courtney Lawes is still set to continue as captain when the countdown to the World Cup resumes next month.
Farrell is on course to win his 100th cap in the November 19th appointment with New Zealand at Twickenham yet despite that impending achievement, Eddie Jones believes he is under-appreciated by his country.
For all his influence on the team Farrell was replaced as captain last autumn, initially because of ankle issues that also forced him to miss the Six Nations but latterly when Lawes was retained for the July tour to Australia due to his superior communication with referees.
If Lawes recovers from the concussion sustained on club duty for Northampton last month he will continue as skipper, but Jones insists Farrell remains a towering presence for England.
“If we don’t have Owen then we lose a huge percentage of our fight. He’s the most energetic and one of the most committed rugby players I’ve ever seen,” Jones said.
“We need that. But we also need someone who is also composed and speaks to the referee well. We need both.
“You know Owen is the third highest points scorer in rugby history? He’s one of the all-time greats of the game.
“He’s won every trophy in the world apart from the World Cup and he’s got a silver medal, which isn’t bad. Sometimes I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves.
“Some players have that likeness. When you’re a tough, gritty player like Owen, it’s harder to be liked. That’s the reality.
“He’s combative, he’s very focused about the game and he doesn’t open himself up a lot. That’s the reality. But he’s an icon of the game here.
“He’s resurrecting Saracens now – they’re back up playing fantastic rugby. We hope we get that Owen in with all that fighting spirit for next month.”
England open the Autumn Nations Series against Argentina on November 6 with the aim of making an explosive start after Jones tapped into the knowledge of Mikel Arteta, who has guided Arsenal to the top of the Premier League this season.
The conversation came as part of an “Alcoholics Anonymous” style meeting of coaches across a range of sports.
“We have this fantastic group. Mikel Arteta came into the camp last autumn and we had a really good chat. He’s a super bright young coach,” Jones said.
“Because of Covid you have these Zoom conferences now. It’s like Alcoholics Anonymous. We all go in and share our problems and everyone tells you what they think. It’s fantastic.
“We’ve got Mikel, Matt LaFleur the Green Bay Packers head coach, George Karl who’s an NBA hall of famer, Mike Dunlap who was Michael Jordan’s head coach when he bought the Hornets.
“We’ve got all these guys in the same room. It’ll be fantastic when we all get together over a beer. It’ll be so much fun. Then it will be Alcholics Anonymous.
“We just share stories and each other’s problems and try and come up with ideas of how we can take coaching forward. Mikel Arteta is a brilliant young guy.
“I learned from him about how fast Arsenal get out of the blocks. Every game they’re at it. They play with energy, they know how they want to play, they put the opposition on the back foot. In rugby 75 per cent of Tests are won by the team who score the first try.”
Exeter’s Namibian-born prop Patrick Schickerling has been omitted from England’s 36-man squad on eligibility grounds as Jones seeks clarification from World Rugby on whether he qualifies on residency grounds.
