As England tried to make some sense of what happened to them on Saturday evening, Owen Farrell found himself in unfamiliar territory — as a scapegoat for a logic-defying collapse.
Twickenham has never seen anything like it. The home side led 31-0 after half an hour. With five minutes to go they trailed 31-38, having contrived to concede six tries without reply. To say the wheels had come off doesn't even begin to cover it.
George Ford's overtime try and conversion snatched a draw and brought the house down, by which time Farrell was a disconsolate spectator.
Owen Farrell found himself in unfamiliar territory as a scapegoat for a logic-defying collapse
Scotland captain Stuart McInally charges down Farrell's kick before running through to score
In the 70th minute, with the scores tied and a pulsating occasion in the balance, the England captain was taken off. It was a rare and remarkable sight. The conductor doesn't tend to depart before the deed is done.
Afterwards, Farrell appeared stunned and crestfallen. Often in such circumstances he exudes an air of simmering defiance. Not this time. T
his is a man who has taken up long-term residence on a high sporting pedestal, but he was forced to accept a hefty dose of blame for the way England's loss of composure and direction contributed to a miracle comeback that saw Gregor Townsend's team retain the Calcutta Cup.
'Owen lost a bit of his edge,' Eddie Jones told the BBC. 'He was a little bit off his best. We needed someone to change the momentum of the game. I thought Sladey and Manu both still had enough in them to stay on, so it then became a decision on whether to replace Owen and we thought it was the best decision at that stage.
George Ford's overtime try and conversion snatched a draw and brought the house down
'He's the hardest taskmaster in the world and he'll be disappointed with his game. He's a young captain and he's developing really nicely. Like any young captain, it takes time. You don't put a C next to someone's name and they learn every lesson on how to manage a game.'
If, as seems increasingly likely, Farrell, 27, is to be England's captain for the World Cup, his status as a work-in-progress leader is far from ideal. The development phase has to accelerate. At least the fly-half showed a commendable willingness to accept responsibility, while team-mates formed a long queue to exonerate him.
'We probably gifted them the momentum swing — me more than anyone,' said the Saracen. 'When they did come back, it probably shocked us that bit too much. We talked about staying calm and sticking to the process and it didn't quite work out that way.'
There is an uncomfortable sense that England's fortunes have become overly reliant on one man. Now that Farrell is serving as skipper, sole primary playmaker, goal-kicker, defensive tone-setter and all-round, high-intensity action man, the prospects for player and team are utterly intertwined.
When Farrell has a bad day, England have a bad day, like in the second half
