Select Edition

Select Edition

Northern
Southern
Global
NZ
France

Five key players in England's record-equalling run

By Russell Greaves
England’s Owen Farrell

Eddie Jones has been lauded for guiding England to a record-equalling 18 consecutive Test wins and he has called upon 49 players to help achieve that goal.

Saturday's match against Ireland offers the chance to secure an outright world record, along with a second Six Nations Grand Slam in a row.

Only three players – Danny Care, Dan Cole and George Ford – have featured in every game along the way.

Here, we take a look at five key players in England's remarkable run.

March 11, 2017

Owen Farrell 

When England's winning run was still in its infancy – a mere seven games, in fact – Jones took his side to his home country for a test more rigorous than the Six Nations, at which the Red Rose had swept all before them.

With such a stern examination in store across three matches in Australia, Jones needed something special from his team and no individual delivered more emphatically than Farrell.

His 66 points helped England to a first series whitewash on Australian shores and Farrell's continued fine form has seen him rack up 259 points during the streak, in which he has played 17 times.

Jonathan Joseph 

Of the 72 tries scored by England, 11 have come from the irrepressible Joseph. The Bath centre's hat-trick in the 61-21 thrashing of Scotland was his second Six Nations treble.

His virtuoso display versus Vern Cotter's side provided a telling response to the fact he was dropped for the previous clash with Italy, against whom he scored three tries in 2016.

Boasting a lethal combination of power, pace and dazzling footwork, Joseph is a formidable force for club and country.