He is indisputably the main man but, as controller-in-chief, he needs to drag more creativity out of the England attack over the next eight weeks. While England’s pack developed well in the autumn, the backline looked blunt – a development issue according to Farrell.
“I think there is a parallel with England and Saracens,†he said. “At Saracens when Brendan Venter took over we stripped it back and started from the fundamentals and our game has evolved ever since. If we’d just thrown it around from the start we’d probably have lost a lot of games. It’s tougher to evolve at international level because one, it is a higher standard, and two, you have less time together but the players are good and that’s what we have to do.â€
As for criticism that, warrior though he may be, he lacks the vision to open an international side up – well, that is a development issue too.
“I know for a fact that I still have a lot to learn to get to anywhere near where I want to be and hopefully that will never stop. Staying the same is not good, you always want to be getting better,†he said.
“I will learn off anyone and everyone. I watch a lot of rugby and, when I do so, first and foremost, it is to take something out of it. You watch and you think: ‘I could do that. It would make me a better player’.
“I watch Dan Carter – obviously he’s good – but I think Aaron Cruden is a very good player as well with how he controls the big picture.
“When a try is scored people often just see the try but sometimes it is made three or four phases before that so you have to look at the big picture and take it all as a whole. I think I can get better at that.â€
Saturday’s visit to France will be Farrell’s 20th Test for his country. Two years ago, in the corresponding fixture, he helped a callow young England side to an improbable victory.
Article source: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/welsh-rugby-crisis-irb-not-6481350
Winner: Owen Farrell hopes to kick England to 6 Nations glory
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