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'Run the game for him': Why Eddie Jones wants Farrell next to Marcus Smith
By Sam Smith
Eddie Jones has responded to criticism over the selection of Owen Farrell as England captain despite the Saracens star not playing since the Autumn against Australia in an interview with BBC Sport.
Farrell has been sidelined with injury since but Jones has backed the 30-year-old as 'the right guy' for the job of England captain, and also as a key man to unlock Marcus Smith's potential.
Jones claimed Smith needs a 12 next to him that 'can run the game' and that is the role that the experience of Farrell will bring.
"At the moment he's the right guy for the job," Jones said of Farrell's captaincy selection to BBC Sport.
"You talk about Marcus Smith, Owen's going to be an important player for Marcus. Marcus could be an absolutely brilliant 10 so he needs to have a 12 next to him that can run the game for him and that's where Owen is so good."
When questioned about when Farrell's 'credit in the bank' will run out and his selection based on form, Jones said it is a balance they make for all players.
"That's a judgement you make and it's something we are assessing all the time, for all the players," Jones explained.
"Your 100 per cent right, selection is always about historical form, it's about current form, and it's about the potential of how you can improve.
"What we saw with Owen in November, the short time he played, was really positive. He came back in rejuvenated, and now it's the opportunity for those players to come back. We've seen it in November with Jamie George, how positive it was when he came back, and Owen showed that in the Australian game.
"I've got no doubt he can go no and play really well in the Six Nations."
Fans online weren't so impressed with Jones' assertion that Farrell is needed to guide Smith, with many sure that the Harlequins flyhalf would be fine without him. They labelled Jones' comments 'ridiculous' and 'absolute comedy gold'.
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Latest Comments
I am not into this wild swinging of outlooks from match to match. In Lions teams terms, Ireland and Scotland were better in those matches than England. England relied on luck to beat Scotland. Ireland have the triple crown.
Ireland were playing for the Grand Slam and Championships and both were de facto gone last week, so I wouldn’t look too deeply into that Italy performance.
Wales were a little tired and English physicality broke them. England, France and indeed Ireland and Scotland can put up big scores when a match is done with time to play.
Go to commentsThey don’t. Scotland have no luck and get the worst end of the stick on almost all occasions: from refereeing decisions to world cup draws and scheduling. This is not a coincidence in my opinion.
People give out about Townsends success. But he has done brilliantly given the amount of headwinds blowing.
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