Owen Farrell's special status was emphatically confirmed on Tuesday when he was installed as England captain for the Six Nations — despite spending the last two months out injured.
Saracens’ 30-year-old Test centurion was wholeheartedly endorsed by head coach Eddie Jones as the ‘right guy’ to lead the national team in their championship campaign. Yet, this endorsement followed clarification that Sam Underhill and Elliot Daly had both been omitted from the 36-man squad due to a shortage of game-time.
As forecast by Sportsmail on Tuesday, Farrell was selected as skipper while his friend, Leicester’s in-form George Ford, was left out again. Incumbent No 10 Marcus Smith was included along with Bath rookie Orlando Bailey.
Owen Farrell will regain the England captaincy at the upcoming Six Nations tournament
Courtney Lawes filled the leadership void with distinction in the autumn wins over Tonga and world champions South Africa, but the Northampton forward returns to the ranks as Jones opted to restore Farrell to the captaincy on reputation.
With Farrell due to make his Saracens comeback after ankle surgery against London Irish in Barnet on Sunday, Jones said: ‘Owen is captain because he has the respect of the team, he’s a winner and drives the competitive spirit of the team. Very clearly, he is the best person in my judgement to captain the team and if he is fit and eligible for selection he will captain the team.’
Asked if he would be prepared to pick Farrell to start the Six Nations opener against Scotland at Murrayfield a fortnight on Saturday, Jones added: ‘We’ll wait and see. He’s due to play this week and then he has another training week and then he will be eligible for selection.’
Eddie Jones has had to defend the decision as Farrell has spent last two months out injured
Courtney Lawes filled the leadership void in their autumn wins over Tonga and South Africa
In this scenario, players are evidently assessed differently by England’s head coach. Explaining the absence of Underhill and Daly, Jones said: ‘Sam’s not quite ready. He’s had a fairly truncated period since the autumn but we’re hopeful that he’ll get himself fit and match-ready for later in the tournament. Elliot’s a bit the same. He hasn’t played a lot of rugby and needed to get good match fitness and good match form behind him.’
There is no such requirement for Farrell to prove himself fit and match sharp, despite the trouble England had last year with a core of their squad going into the championship under-cooked. When challenged by Sportsmail to justify
