Eddie Jones: Lack of Farrell appreciation, media overhype Smith

Former England head coach Eddie Jones has told William Hill’s podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, that Owen Farrell remains underappreciated due to his unemotional and rigid nature.

The former Wallabies boss, who is in Wales this week to take charge of the Barbarians next Saturday in Cardiff with Scott Roberston, said: “When you look at what Owen Farrell has done within the game, he has won every trophy there is to win other than the World Cup and he has been to the final of that.

“He is the highest point scorer in the history of England rugby and he has been a colossus in the game. Because he can be seen as quite an unemotional and rigid player, he doesn’t get the praise that he should get.

“The most emotional I have seen him was after the World Cup semi-final in 2019 when he said, ‘I am so proud to be English’. You could really feel his passion and his pride and you don’t often get that with him. I think he gets a bit of a hard time for that. I 100 per cent think that there is a lack of appreciation for him.”

Farrell last week skippered England to a bronze medal finish at France 2023 but Jones, who coached England from 2016 through to 2022, said that the combination of Dylan Hartley as captain and Farrell as co-captain was the best leadership combination when he was in charge.

“Dylan Hartley was my first England captain because he was what the team needed at that time,” he said. “They needed to come out of themselves because they had been through a tough period and they had turned into a very respectful and nice team. They needed Dylan to come in and give the team a bit of life, which he did.

“Owen Farrell came in off the back of that and he was much more serious and tough. He was brilliant on the field but off the field, he wasn’t quite as good as Dylan. There are two types of leaders in rugby and if you can get both in your captaincy set-up then you have hit the jackpot.

“That is what we had. You have got people who are really tough on standards on the field and are obsessed by performance, then you have those who are better at bringing the guys together off the field. When we had Dylan Hartley and Owen Farrell as captain and vice-captain it was a great combination.”

Reflecting on the evolution of England in 2023 under new head coach Steve Borthwick, a year in which Marcus Smith lost his role as first-choice No10 and instead went on to start twice at full-back at the World Cup, Jones reckoned: “Marcus Smith is reasonably good at club level but the media make him out to be a superstar.

“He is not a superstar yet, he’s a promising young player. If you look at someone like Richie Mo’unga from New Zealand, he’s 29 now, he’s played 60 or so Tests and he’s an instinctive player. At Test match level, these instinctive players, particularly when they are in high decision-making positions, take time to mature.

“I think we will see over the next two years whether or not Marcus Smith has what it takes to go as far as his potential suggests he can. If he can stick at it for the next two years, he will get through it and these will be the most formative years of his rugby life if he can stick at it and not end up going to play overseas.

“If he keeps playing for England, then Owen Farrell will be coming to the latter stages of his career, so there will be an opportunity for him to step up and he can be a really, really good Test player.”