The last couple of years with the slip in England’s performances in the 2020/21 Six Nations and the following autumn internationals, plus the emergence of the simply brilliant premiership winning Marcus Smith at Harlequins, many have begun to question whether Owen Farrell is still the right man to be leading England.
There is no doubt that Eddie Jones values Owen’s leadership of the squad and the example he sets players on and off the pitch, but for how long can this reasonably be valued above player performance without undermining the high performance ethos of the squad?
Owen Farrell: The Argument For…
Track record
The man has done it all. He’s stood toe to toe with the best players on the planet time and again and come out victorious more often than not. Who can forget his staring down of the All Blacks in the semi-final clash.
Execution under pressure
I won’t waste time talking about his fantastic reliability with the boot even under extreme circumstances but I will remind people that his all round skill level is fantastic. The pass he threw against Wales in the last minute of the game to put Elliot Daley in at the corner was measured to perfection, anything less and Daly wouldn’t have scored. Have you ever tried passing a ball 20 plus metres at speed into a target zone of about a foot square, all whilst millions of people at home, and on television are watching.
Game management
Let’s be honest, what he lacks in pace and body swerves he more than makes up for in terms of maneuvering the team around the field. His tactical kicking game is extremely good in all conditions. His cross kicks and grubbers are a particular highlight for me, perhaps stemming from his rugby league background in his younger days.
At this point you might be interested in reading How To Kick in Rugby: Pro Tips.
Playing test rugby has very different pressures when compared to club rugby and just because a player flourishes at club level as a ten does not mean they can readily translate that to test matches where there is much more pressure on a fly half, decisions have to be made more quickly and skills executed in half the time with greater precision, and Owne Farrel can do this!
Leadership
Eddie Jones, who knows the squad better than most, considers him to be the heartbeat of the squad, the player that drives standards that all players listen to and respect. Who else in the squad fits all those qualities?
Points machine
Owen Farrel has already amassed over 1,000 test points and is closing in on one hundred caps. Only Jonny WIlkinson could claim to be a better kicker for England but he did not handle the pressure with the confidence and assurity that Farrell does. Wilkinson should clearly be seen as a better drop goal kicker having 36 drop goals to his name in test match rugby though.
Hard hitting
Not many fly halves in world rugby can claim to be as big a tackler as Owen Farrel. Once again the only really comparable English fly half would be Jonny Wilkinson. Other former England fly halves such as Rob Andrew, Danny Cipriani, Charlie Hodgson, and even George Ford are/weren’t in the same league as Owen or Jonny as far as tackling goes.
That’s a brief summary of the good stuff, so what about the bad stuff then. What are the main reasons that some believe Owen Farrell should no longer be in the England team.
Owen Farrell: The Argument Against…
Poor tackle technique
Having just praised Owen for his tackling prowess it must be said that it is also an area of vulnerability and has cost England points in the past. He has a natural tendency to lead with the chest and shoulder and be a touch too high. This means that if the arms don’t wrap quickly enough the tackle looks like a shoulder charge and a high one at that.
A captain should be leading by example, especially in the area of discipline and this is one area that let’s Owen down occasionally, or at least is a chink in the armour. He might want to read our Rugby Tackling Skills guide here.
One dimensional
When Owen plays in the England team you can’t help but feel he is slowing the attack down somewhat. Firsty, he takes the ball quite deep, secondly, he has no outside break to trouble teams, thirdly he nas no step or swerve to interest defenses and fourthly he just seems to run the same play book over and over again with seemingly no room for instinctive play or creativity which is what most spectators pay to see.
Better options
At the time of writing both George Ford and Marcus Smith are far better options. Both are in the form of their lives and have the full skill set, are highly creative and offer a running threat too. In fact, I reckon if George Ford had been a New Zealnder he would have been developed further and been given more chances and better coaching/mentoring and become one of the greatest number tens ever. That said, he’s still not done too badly with England.
Of course, Owen often slots in at 12. Some people say he is a ball playing twelve but I don’t see it that way. A ball-playing twelve is someone like a Mike Catt, or Will Greenwood. Someone who could sense the space around them and either use it for themselves or put others into the spaces, and they would do so not by running a play book but through their own guile and skill. Having Owen in the team at twelve prevents England from having, or developing someone like that at twelve. He’s not even a massively powerful ball carrier so I am particularly no fond of seeing him at twelve.
A bygone era
The England team need to move on. His era of the Vunipolas and kick chase rugby has gone. Including him in the squad prevents it from fully moving on. Marcus Smith does not need Farrel telling him what to do, blunting his creative instincts. The squad needs to develop new leaders to take the team into the next world cup. Holding onto the past is never a good thing. As good as Owen is/has been that era has gone and a new generation of world beaters should be allowed to come through without his presence undermining new developments.
Final words
Owen has been a fantastic servant of English rugby and he’ll probably make a great coach like his dad is doing, but, please, for the love of god, step aside and give the youth it’s head.
You might also be interested in reading How To Play Fly Half (Danny Cipriani Weighs In)
Image Credits
USO – Saracens – 20151213 – Owen Farrell 1.jpg 2015
