How does England's backline line-up without Owen Farrell?
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England head coach Eddie Jones will be without the services of his captain Owen Farrell for the entirety of the 2022 Six Nations, the Australian confirmed on Wednesday.
In an interview with BBC Sport last week, Jones said that he would be backing Farrell to hit the ground running following his injury that he picked up against Australia last November and would slot in alongside Marcus Smith in the starting lineup.
Last week, an injury in training ahead of Saracens’ Challenge Cup fixture has subsequently ruled Owen Farrell out of England’s entire Six Nations campaign, spoiling Jones’ plans.
“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.” - Jones said of his two playmakers.
Before Farrell’s latest setback Jones’ backline would have looked something like this (9-15): Ben Youngs, Marcus Smith, Jonny May, Owen Farrell, Henry Slade, Max Malins/ Joe Marchant, and Freddie Stewart.
Since Jones’ initial squad announcement, England look set to start their campaign without Jonny May and Farrell.
So how does the recent injury news change Eddie Jones’ backline?
One could assume that Jones will want to pair Marcus Smith with another playmaker. George Ford has earned a well-deserved recall to cover the injury of Owen Farrell, but with neither him nor Marcus Smith having regularly played inside centre, Henry Slade will likely fill Owen Farrell’s void.
Manu Tuilagi’s absence means that Jones will also add a big ball carrying option to his backline. Mark Atkinson is in the squad and could fill that role, but the England boss could use his pack to compensate for the lack of heavy ball carriers in the backline. Sam Simmonds and Alex Dombrant are instrumental in this situation.
Ben Youngs has been a mainstay in the England backline during the Jones era, which is unlikely to change just yet. Raffi Quirke and Harry Randall will contest for the backup role on the bench, with Marcus Smith starting alongside Youngs.
The midfield is where the most significant doubt is. It looks likely that Henry Slade will move from the outside centre role he featured in last year and into the inside centre role, beating Mark Atkinson and Luke Northmore to the #12 jersey. Elliot Daly has also been recalled into the squad as cover for Jonny May, and while he could fill in on the wing, he may well cover multiple positions from the bench, including outside centre.
Last November, Joe Marchant started on the wing in the win over the Springboks but moved into the centres after Tuilagi’s injury. He and his clubmate Luke Northmore are likely to battle it out for the starting outside centre role along with Elliot Daly.
Freddie Stewart nailed down the starting fullback role in his debut test season and is the front runner for the position in his debut Six Nations campaign. Jones does have multiple options for the no.15 jumper, but it is unlikely it will change hands.
Jones has just as many options out wide despite the injury to regular starters Anthony Watson and Jonny May. The return to fitness of Jack Nowell creates a pleasant selection headache for Jones. Max Malins has been in excellent form for Saracens and didn’t disappoint in the white jersey last year. Joe Marchant has been equally impressive for club and country on the wing and in the centres. Then there are the uncapped options in Tommy Freeman and Ollie Hassell-Collins who could make his debut.
Potential England backline:
9. Ben Youngs
10. Marcus Smith
11. Max Malins
12. Henry Slade
13. Joe Marchant
14. Jack Nowell
15. Freddie Stewart
Alternate Potential England backline:
9. Ben Youngs
10. Marcus Smith
11. Max Malins
12. Henry Slade
13. Luke Northmore
14. Joe Marchant
15. Freddie Stewart
Unlikely Alternate Potential England backline:
9. Ben Youngs
10. Marcus Smith
11. Max Malins
12. George Ford
13. Henry Slade
14. Joe Marchant
15. Freddie Stewart
