Owen Farrell wins the man of the match award on Sunday, but the England midfielder still seems unloved by fans. Getty Images/Adam Pretty
Attack coach Richard Wigglesworth believes Owen Farrell has succumbed to tall poppy syndrome after the England captain responded to the tambourines with a convincing man-of-the-match performance against Fiji.
< p>Farrell's name was loudly booed before kick-off at Stade Marseille, and despite the booing during the match, he still scored 20 points, including a late goal and a penalty, which helped England through the battle. Fiji.
Head coach Steve Borthwick's decision to substitute George Ford, England's match-winner against Argentina, for Farrell in the second half caused significant controversy last week, but Wigglesworth was always confident that his former midfield partner » Saracen» will handle it when necessary.< /p>
“We’re lucky to have him,” Wigglesworth said. “As always, the tallest trees catch the most wind, and he seems to be catching a fair amount of it. It's been proven again and again and again and I don't understand why in England we feel the need to not celebrate it, not enjoy it, just because he's not sitting in front of social media or the media isn't reveling in it all.
“He takes his career incredibly seriously, he's an incredibly proud Englishman, he influences any team he's in and he's been brilliant for us, as we knew he would be. That was the maddening part of any noise — we knew what was coming [from it].»
Borthwick did not hesitate to appoint Farrell as their tournament captain at the start of the summer and immediately brought him back into the team after he completed his final four-match suspension for a dangerous tackle. Even while he was on the sidelines during his suspension, scrum-half Danny Care confirmed that he has a responsibility to maintain the team's standards.
“If you're not involved in it, you'll know about it. from Owen,” Care said. “I've been playing for Owen for 10-12 years now and his level has never wavered both on and off the pitch. Incredible person, incredible player. I still think he won't get the recognition he deserves until he stops playing, which I still think is incredible. He has shown time and time again what a great world-class player he is. He's a great guy.
“Owen was the guy in the shirt on Sunday, leading us brilliantly as our captain the whole time he was unavailable. When he is around, you feel safe, you are in good hands with him. I thought he carried us around the field brilliantly. He took the three when we needed it early. His kicking was great, as was his defense. We've been lucky with some good 10s.»
«South Africa are probably one of the best rugby teams of all time.»
England are still awaiting a full medical report from their thumping 30-24 win over Fiji with converted full-back Marcus Smith sporting a «fat lip». An even tougher test awaits the Springboks, although Wigglesworth says the world champions have improved their game significantly since they physically abused England in the 2019 final.
“How special it is to be able to beat France in the form in which it is, at home? It was a special performance from an incredible team,” Wigglesworth said. «We're probably talking about one of the best rugby teams to ever do it, aren't we?
“We are talking about a team that strives to go one after another, that developed, that moved and for six years they had an established coaching team with established players and they added quality to it.
“The strength of their game well known and the way they play, but I think recently in about a year you've seen a huge evolution in what they do. The difference is who they choose now and what it looks like for them. It's something you want to do as a team.
“Any team that is successful ends up having a really strong base and core to their game. This coaching staff has existed for six years, the players have been together for most of that time, so they know what they want to do.
“But they started adding new things to their game: the way they move the ball and the way they get out of the play, all different things, so now there's more variety in it. They have a lot of threats right now, and that's probably why they're aiming to become one of the best in history.»
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