England coach Eddie Jones says he wants captain Owen Farrell to leave his mark on the team during their upcoming June test series against the Springboks.
With regular captain Dylan Hartley among the host of players missing the tour through injury, Farrell has taken over the leadership of the team for the three-match series in South Africa.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Jones encouraged Farrell to find his own way of leading the team while also comparing him to former Wallabies skipper George Gregan.
‘I have never seen a stronger winner than George,’ said Jones. ‘He demanded stuff from the team and they were frightened not to give it to him.
‘Owen is as close to [his] mark and he will put his own stamp on this team. He is a completely different character to Dylan. They have different cultural backgrounds, Dylan from Rotorua, Owen from Wigan.
‘We don’t want to lose some of the great work Dylan has done and he has done a lot of good things. We want to keep those and then let Owen bring his own flavour to the table.
‘You can’t expect a captain to immediately be this all-conquering figure. It takes time, it takes effort and it takes patience. Owen has got the job for five weeks in South Africa, to find his own team, to find his own style to influence the team and we will see how he goes.’
Photo: Ashley Western/Getty Images
