England captain Owen Farrell admits he has overthought his goalkicking, which has a recent success rate of 47 per cent. Photo / AP
England captain Owen Farrell admits he has overthought his goalkicking, which has a recent success rate of 47 per cent. Photo / AP
Steve Borthwick is expected to take the seismic decision to drop England captain Owen Farrell from the side to face France at Twickenham on Sunday, the first time the skipper has been omitted from a major test match on form since 2015.
Marcus Smith is to be promoted to the fly-half position in place of Farrell, who must be content with a place on the bench against last season’s Grand Slam champions.
Ellis Genge, who captained Leicester under Borthwick to the Premiership title last season, is expected to be appointed captain after Courtney Lawes was ruled out of the remainder of the championship with a shoulder injury.
Genge, an aggressive ball carrier with an unrelenting work rate, will bring a new dimension to the leadership role, similar to the menace that was previously provided in spades by Martin Johnson and Lewis Moody before him.
The decision comes just five weeks after Borthwick appointed Farrell as his captain for the Guinness Six Nations campaign and represents a bigger selection decision than any taken during the seven years of his predecessor Eddie Jones.
The last time Farrell was not selected for a frontline test match – when fit – was England’s scratchy victory over Fiji in the opening match of the 2015 World Cup at Twickenham.
For further context, the only international games he has not started since then when fit are matches against Japan in November 2018, a World Cup warm-up against Wales the following year and the pool-stage match against tier-two side the United States in Japan. He was also named on the bench for two tests for the British and Irish Lions in the series against South Africa in 2021.
Steve Borthwick speaks to the media after being named England coach. Photo / AP
Borthwick refuses to shy away from big decisions
Borthwick made it clear when he took the position that selection would be based on form and what is now certain is that no one’s position, not even the captain’s, is guaranteed.
If it might not be as dramatic as Warren Gatland’s decision to drop Brian O’Driscoll for the Lions’ third test victory over Australia in 2013, it demonstrates that the head coach is not prepared to shy away from controversial decisions.
Smith, despite playing for just 14 seconds in the victory over Wales and a bit-part cameo in the win over Italy, will now be handed the responsibility to spearhead a high-tempo attack as England look to meet fire with fire in Le Crunch against a side who have developed into one of the most dangerous counter-attackers in the world.
The decision to back the mercurial talent of Smith also challenges the perception that Borthwick would restrict his attacking ambitions to a dour, forward-based kicking game and will add further spice to the fixture, England’s last competitive game at Twickenham before the World Cup in France.
Borthwick ready to go toe-to-toe with French pace
England clearly believe that pace will be the key to challenging a French side who have struggled at times to cope with the high-tempo game employed by Scotland in their thrilling third-round defeat. Quick ruck speed and varying the point of attack was also central to Ireland’s victory over France in Dublin.
Yet what is also clear is that the basic requirements of goal-kicking will have come into the equation.
Farrell, by his own admission, has been “over-thinking” his goalkicking, and his success rate of just 47 per cent in the previous three rounds is simply not of test standard. Last year, his success rate was 83 per cent.
Against Wales, he missed four out of six attempts at goal, and given the rebuilding job that Borthwick is attempting, one absolute fundamental task of the fly-half is to keep the scoreboard ticking over to reward spells of pressure.
Smith landed five out of six kicks at goal for Harlequins on Saturday and now faces the biggest game of his career. His attacking flair was key to England’s victory over world champions South Africa in November 2021, a result that went a long way to extending Jones’s tenure.
But the white heat of a Six Nations contest will put his game management under even greater scrutiny.
A word here too for Farrell. Despite the disappointment of knowing the decision when he appeared at a press conference on Tuesday, the Saracens player showed true leadership qualities by heaping praise on Smith’s performance against Quins and speaking of the benefit it could bring to the England side.
‘Farrell will always be captain material and always play his role’
Borthwick has made it a priority to tighten the bonds within the squad, and the composure and maturity shown by Farrell, arguably the most competitive figure in the squad, was clear evidence of this.
There is little doubt that the 31-year-old will still play a key role from the bench and may yet return to the starting XV for the final round against Ireland.
“Faz will always be captain material and always play his role as he does, whether he is captain or not,” Kevin Sinfield, the England defence coach, said.
“Whether Owen is in the side or not, he’ll continue to be a great leader for us.
