England captain Owen Farrell has tested positive for COVID-19, but has yet to be ruled out of playing his 100th Test in Saturday’s clash with Tonga at Twickenham.
The RFU said Farrell would miss Friday’s training after returning a positive PCR test and would remain in isolation and will be lateral flow and PCR tested again later on Friday.
All other player and staff PCR test results received are negative.
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Farrell had been named to start at flyhalf with Marcus Smith named among the replacements after missing parts of training this week with a leg injury.
Farrell’s participation in next weekend’s match against Australia must also be in doubt.
Farrell has made 93 England appearances, having also played six Tests for the British & Irish Lions.
Injury-hit inside centre Manu Tuilagi returns to makes his first appearance since March 2020, with Henry Slade at outside centre. Ben Youngs will win his 110th cap at scrumhalf, with uncapped Alex Mitchell among the replacements.
Wing prospect Adam Radwan will win his second cap, with Freddie Steward winning his third at fullback.
Coach Eddie Jones has opted for Tom Curry at No.8, with Alex Dombrandt set to join the fray from the bench, and Courtney Lawes starting at blindside flanker.
Tonga, shorn of several first-choice players, were hammered 60-14 by Scotland last week and England, playing in front of an 82,000 Twickenham full house for the first time since last year’s Six Nations, will expect another demolition job.
Fans though are likely to be less interested in the scoreline than England’s approach, as they seek to move on from their turgid play of the last year.
“The speed of the ruck has gone from three seconds to 2.79, which is about a 10 per cent increase in speed, so there are opportunities to be more aggressive with the ball,” Australian Jones said.
“That’s where the game’s at at the moment and that’s what we’re looking for. We’re not going to be the perfect finish on Saturday but we’re going to play with a lot of intensity, a lot of physicality and we want to keep those fans at Twickenham glued to the edge of their seats.”
Saturday’s matchday squad includes 13 players who were involved in the 2019 World Cup and 10 new faces and Jones is hoping the injection of youth will lift the side.
“We want trademark games out of them,” Jones said of the young brigade. “To play with a lot of effort and a lot of control, and then if they get the opportunity, to bring their special talents to the game.”
After this week’s warm-up England face Australia on November 13 and world champions South Africa the following week but Jones was in no mood to write off Saturday’s opponents.
“What a rugby country,” he said of the Pacific island.
“100,000 people and they produce per capita more fantastic rugby players than any other country in the world.”
Tim J
Roar Rookie
FN… I know that it was done in good banter, us Kiwis give as good as we take. :stoked:
FunBus
Roar Rookie
It was ‘banter’ MK. Although I’m aware of how ‘banter’ is sometimes ‘defined’ in your neck of the woods. I only mentioned the ABs because of your name. I’ve got some Swinton ‘banter’ prepared for others. :happy:
FunBus
Roar Rookie
He’s spoken sense throughout the entire pandemic.
Ankle-tapped Waterboy
Roar Rookie
Well put, woodart. We'll pay that one.
Art3mis
Roar Rookie
DA - the point of the DR reference is that it depends. There are many variables and assumptions at play - some known, some unknown. I heard a report that highly vaccinated Israel who are advanced in rolling out third doses and have world class medical facilities are reimposing restrictions because of rising infections and hospitalisations. Which if true, is of concern . . .
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Oh FB… Learn about banter, funny how you bring up the All Blacks only. :laughing: :laughing:
Double Agent
Guest
Not you?
Art3mis
Roar Rookie
FB - I think professor Tim Spector of King’s College would agree with you on that - his weekly assessments on the uk situation I find most illuminating. But he is not everyone’s cup of tea.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Apparently, Smith only had a minor knock.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Didn’t mean to be patronising, but there is a lot of nonsense spouted about the situation in ‘England’ from your part of the world. What’s appropriate (or not depending on what your view of the science relating to masks is) for Australia at this point in the pandemic cycle, will bear little relationship to the situation in the U.K. it’s only fairly recently that compulsory mask-wearing has been lifted. Tweaking these rules at different points is complex.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Yeah, it’s an interesting one. The rumours are that Smith would have started between Youngs and Farrell against Tonga, but he hasn’t been able to train this week. That’s more significant than normal as England have an almost entirely new assistant coaching team, so presumably new systems are being embedded. The dilemma is that if you were picking a side just to try and beat the ‘Gold’ you’d go with Youngs, Farrell, Tuilagi and Slade. But the opportunity to throw Smith in against a top side and accelerate his development for 2023 is not to be sniffed at.
Broken Shoulder
Roar Rookie
That's a shame for Owen. I hope there are no other players testing positive. This opens the door for Marcus Smith which may turn out to be bad news for the Wallabies. Hoping he comes through the game against Tonga unscathed considering he's just getting back to full fitness.
Marshy
Guest
While I don’t think he’s the greatest defender FB but I also don’t think he gives away that many penalties. Have not really looked at those numbers in much depth. Certainly some interesting discussions around that England 10 jersey though. Smith getting his go against Gold perhaps?
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Everyone else has returned negative tests, though. We’ll know more in a few hours.
Art3mis
Roar Rookie
FB - no not rude, just a tad patronising. My observations of Covid so far is that it has repeatedly outwitted humanity. Knowing what is an acceptable death rate vis a vis economic imperatives is a fraught moral debate. I’d admit that I’m probably a victim of my own information bubble and local government propaganda, but it does not seem unreasonable for me to wear a mask and avoid crowds when I can even where there are high rates of vaccination. Treating covid with caution is the least I can do til the evidence is sufficiently compelling that we can do otherwise.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
I refer you to my point above, with the added bit, given your ‘moniker’, that whereas international hookers practice hitting their man at the lineout, AB props must practice how to drive their shoulder into the head of an opponent. :happy:
FunBus
Roar Rookie
It always makes me laugh this ignorant hysteria about Farrell. Particularly those two ‘head high shoulder charges’ he ‘got away with’ in consecutive weeks against the Boks and Oz 3 years ago. You can send YouTube links showing how neither incident was ‘high’, involved a shoulder charge, or was dangerous. You can point out how Farrell has never been sent off for England and had very few yellow cards (and none for high tackles) in nearly 100 caps. You can provide the long and ever lengthening list of Wallabies and ABs red and yellow carded for shoulders to the head in internationals going back over the last 3 or 4 years. None of it makes a dent in the ignorance. :happy:
Art3mis
Roar Rookie
Donald Rumsfeld has the permutations on that.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
I think the key phrase is ‘from where I sit’. I’d also add ‘from what I’ve read.’ When you’ve reached the levels of vaccination of key demographic groups that was reached relatively early in the U.K.,(about 6 months ago) more people die BECAUSE of full lockdown than are actually ‘saved’ – certainly in the medium-term. I put ‘saved’ in inverted commas because the typical COVID victim is 83 with five co-morbidities. Not being rude but the ‘from where I sit’ bit sounds more like ‘off the top of my head.’
FunBus
Roar Rookie
What you know about the complexity of the Covid pandemic, it appears, can be written on the back of a postage stamp.