And in the Telegraph too -
Exclusive: Owen Farrell to be named England captain for Six Nations after controversial ban ruling
Farrell cleared to play in the opening game against Scotland
By Gavin Mairs, Chief Rugby Union Correspondent and Charlie Morgan, Senior Rugby Writer 14 January 2023 • 7:28pm
Owen Farrell is expected to be unveiled on Monday as England’s captain for the Six Nations after being controversially cleared to play in the opening game against Scotland, Telegraph Sport understands.
Steve Borthwick, the new England head coach, has been given the all-clear to select Farrell after the Rugby Football Union on Saturday took the unusual step of confirming his availability for Saracens’ Premiership match against Bristol Bears on Jan 28.
The move thereby ensures that the 31-year-old’s ban for a dangerous tackle on Gloucester back-row forward Jack Clement will elapse in time for the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham on Feb 4.
Farrell is currently serving a four-match ban that could be reduced to three if he completes World Rugby’s coaching intervention programme. It is understood that Borthwick and his new defence coach Kevin Sinfield have also left Farrell in no doubt about what is expected from him and his side in terms of both discipline and tackle height.
Courtney Lawes, who had succeeded Farrell as captain under former England head coach Eddie Jones, is also set to be named in Borthwick’s first Six Nations squad having recovered from injury problems that ruled him out of the Autumn Nations Series.
However, Farrell is expected by his England team-mates to continue as captain having led England during all four autumn Tests during Lawes’ absence, despite the side winning just once, against Japan - a record that cost Jones his job.
Lawes took over as England captain during the tour of Australia last summer, a decision that had left Farrell “very unhappy” according to Jones, who had picked the Saracens player as skipper for the previous four years when selected.
It is thought that the Northampton forward will instead now be part of a strong leadership group that will also include Bristol prop Ellis Genge, who Borthwick had appointed as captain of Leicester last season before his move back to the south-west.
Borthwick is thought to be an admirer of the trio’s no-nonsense leadership attributes as he seeks to bring a combative edge to the side that had lost their way in the last two seasons under Jones.
The RFU intervention on Saturday afternoon in writing to Saracens to confirm Farrell’s availability for a game he is not likely to have played in opened the governing body up to accusations of cynicism for effectively exploiting a loophole to ensure his availability but at least it took the decision out of Borthwick’s hands.
The awkward position arose because of ambiguity over which matches should be considered ‘meaningful’ enough to count towards a sanction. Were he named in the England squad, Farrell would almost certainly have missed Saracens’ match against Bristol.
Because the England squad had not yet been named, though, the RFU’s disciplinary panel counted that Bristol game as part of Farrell’s ban. There is scope to revisit a ban if a player’s circumstances change – for instance, in the event that they are selected in an England squad – but the RFU’s latest statement would appear to be an attempt to bypass this process.
While the episode will leave a sour taste for many, loopholes regarding ‘meaningful’ matches are not confined to England availability. Just last November, a panel ruled that two matches in the space of two days – a fixture against the Barbarians and a Premiership Cup match against Sale Sharks – could comprise a suspension for Nick David, the Harlequins full-back, following a dangerous tackle.
Topic: Salt in wounds (Read 2094 times)
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