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England fly-half Owen Farrell is developing the composure of a “world great”, says Eddie Jones
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The 24-year-old has replaced George Ford for Saturday’s opening Test against Australia in Brisbane: 11am kick-off
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Bath fly-half Ford has been struggling with form and confidence
England head coach Eddie Jones believes fly-half Owen Farrell could develop into a “world great” player.
“He’s always been a physical, in-your-face sort of player,” Jones said.
“Now he’s got a greater appreciation of how you win games of rugby. He sits back, has a look where the space is and is a bit calmer about his decisions.”
Referring to New Zealand legend Dan Carter and England World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson, Jones said he wanted Farrell to become “unflappable”.
“All the great 10s in the world, they never look like they’ve got a hair out of place,” he said. “That’s what you want from your 10.
“When you’re a big, physical guy like Owen is, you develop that through experience and maturity and that’s what he’s starting to do now.”
“Owen is desperate to play for England, desperate for England to win, and he would play full-back if asked. But he has a role to play at 10 this week. It is going to be a physical game, Bodyline rugby, and we have picked a back line that we think will cope with that in the first 50-60 minutes.”