JEREMY GUSCOTT
OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK
ENGLAND found a way to win without Owen Farrell at the end of an Autumn Series in which they were reasonably good, with an overall rating from me of 7.5 out of 10. They used Tonga as a warm-up, and were not too taxed by Australia, but they then had to pull out all the stops when South Africa put them to the test without their captain.
Now the question is when and where Farrell will be brought back into the squad by Eddie Jones following his two months out with an ankle injury, given that Marcus Smith did so well after starting at fly-half against South Africa.
The competition becomes even more intense because George Ford also has a strong claim at 10 after an impressive first half of the season steering Leicester to the top of the Premiership table.
It is worth remembering before Jones announces his Six Nations squad on Tuesday that the relationship between a coach and captain dictates that Jones will always give Farrell the benefit of the doubt. He will back his man, and pick him, because he knows what Farrell can do, and will wait to see when he starts playing some games if he is where he needs to be. He will then give him every chance to stake his claim.
However, let’s not forget that Farrell is now 30, because that age is a bit of a watershed when it comes to your ability to bounce back after injuries. Something you got over in about two weeks as a 20-year-old and came back raring to go, will now take four weeks and make you a bit more cautious.
Farrell is back on the training field, but if he has only had one match back at club level before the Scotland game I would be surprised for him to be put back in the England line-up ahead of Smith.
There is no rush on the captaincy front because Courtney Lawes did a great job as a stand-in during the autumn, but my view is that Farrell has been a good captain, and will probably remain as captain when he’s back in the squad, even though Jones makes the appointment on a tournament to tournament basis.
I cannot see that there would be any gain to be made from not playing Smith at Murrayfield. He has shown that he has the ability at this level to spark England’s attack, and with his skill-set all he needs now is more game time in order to become even more effective. Some might say that Smith is the future, but in my view he is also the man to pull on the 10 shirt right now – and the only way there would be any justification for giving the shirt to Farrell is if he was also ready to go right now.
It is hard to get away from the idea of Marcus Smith being the ‘newbie’, but there are some players who are born ready at international level, and the Harlequins fly-half has shown all the signs of being one of them.
“Farrell has been a good captain, and will remain as captain when he’s back in the squad”
There are times when his vision, timing, and movement are so good that he is unplayable, and he also has this running ability to threaten defences in a way that Farrell does not, and nor does Ford. While they have experience on their side, Smith has this young mindset which does not accept boundaries, and which brings new possibilities for England in attack.
All top players get to a point when they know that it is getting tight and tough in selection, and that is where Farrell is at the moment. He is under pressure for his position for the first time in his England career since Jones took over, and I cannot see that changing too much between now and 2023 World Cup.
All Farrell can do is keep opposition teams under pressure by fine decision-making and execution, as well as maintaining the great goalkicking standards he has achieved at international level.
Smith has to keep kicking his goals, because Farrell has shown that ability to get pressure kicks time and again. However, the signs are that Smith has the right temperament and technique because he made crucial pressure kicks against South Africa – and he will have to keep nailing them if he gets selected to start against Scotland.
Although there is very little between Smith and Ford, and the Leicester fly-half ‘s experience means his execution at club level this season has been a bit cleaner and precise, I still expect to see Smith get the chance to start his first Six Nations game.
We also have to wait and see whether Manu Tuilagi is fit. I keep harping on about how a bigger, direct inside centre suits England’s style of play best, but for a long time there has been no replacement who has proved he can do what Manu can.
I am not sure whether Mark Atkinson is a long-term solution at 12, and while the 12-13 pairing of Henry Slade and Joe Marchant is decent looking it does not have much physical clout. Marchant can be a direct runner, but he is not 16-17 stone.
It’s a pity that injuries have stopped us seeing Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence paired together in the centre, because that would be explosive. I would also like to see Joe Cokanasiga back to his best, and coming off the wing to surge up the middle, because without the Vunipola brothers England lack direct ball runners.
Freddie Steward comes into the line sometimes in an attacking role, and he can be a force when England get close to the opposition try-line, but you cannot bring him up the middle as a punchy runner as much as you can an inside centre or wing, because of his responsibilities to sweep at the back.
My other reservation is having Max Malins as a first choice pick on the wing. I like him being in the 23 because he’s such a good footballer, but he doesn’t have out-and-out winger’s pace. Malins is a talented all-round player, but at international level the danger when you are not considered to be the best player in one position is that you are expendable – whereas at club level, it can be very important to have a multi-talented utility.
If England are searching for another wing they could do worse than have another look at Elliot Daly. I could still see him having an impact again on the wing, because, even though full-back is now stitched up, he is a gifted player with the experience to make it count.
