Six Nations: Owen Farrell happy to play anywhere in ‘balanced’ England side as Scotland await in Twickenham opener | Rugby Union News

Ahead of England’s Six Nations opener against Scotland at Twickenham, Owen Farrell told Sky Sports that he is “excited about getting back out there” after a disappointing 2022 which saw Eddie Jones get sacked.

Owen Farrell has told Sky Sports he is happy to play at 10 or 12 for England in the Six Nations, as long as the balance of the side is right.

England face Scotland on Saturday at Twickenham in their tournament opener, with Steve Borthwick taking charge for the first time since being appointed as head coach.

Ahead of the Calcutta Cup tie, captain Farrell spoke about his position in the England side after moving between fly-half and outside centre in recent times.

“The only thing that matters is the balance of the team,” he said. “I am excited about getting out there back at home.”

England have won just one of their past five Six Nations games against the Scots, and Farrell acknowledged: “We are playing a tough, tough team, who have been on the right side of results for five years.

“We are looking forward to challenging ourselves against a good team.

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England’s new defence coach Kevin Sinfield has backed the new head coach, Steve Borthwick to succeed in his new role and says his team will only look forward and not back.

“I’ve been a fly-half for most of my career but it’s whatever fits into the team. There was a lot made out of this in the autumn, but the key thing for me is how the team runs. People like to focus on partnerships and who is played where, but for us it’s how we prepare and make sure we get the best of ourselves as a team.”

England have suffered injuries ahead of this year’s tournament, with Leicester Tigers’ Dan Kelly joining Henry Slade and vice-captain Courtney Lawes on the sidelines, although Jamie George will be fit after originally withdrawing from the side.

But Farrell backed England’s wider group of players and said: “We want to show our crowd at Twickenham how hard we are willing to work and how much we are willing to fight playing in the England shirt. The lads have taken to it brilliantly.

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Sky Sports News’ James Cole analyses Steve Borthwick’s selection decisions for his first Six Nations squad as England head coach, and a surprise move for his predecessor Eddie Jones.

“We put in some good work last week. We are aware of how much more work we need to do. We are lucky we have some very talented players in England.

“There are a lot of people who are only a phone call away that come in and get to work straight away. That’s what we have had so far. We have had a competitive build up.”

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England captain Owen Farrell says the squad are hurting after defeat to South Africa at Twickenham but says the players will put the good work they have done to use as they prepare for the Six Nations in February.

‘We have to give the crowd something to cheer about’

England return to Twickenham after a disappointing 2022, which saw the home crowd boo the team after November’s defeat to South Africa.

The loss against the Springboks ended a poor year for England and resulted in the sack for Eddie Jones, with Borthwick replacing him in December, and Farrell is ready to embrace the new era.

He said: “I made my debut against Scotland in 2012 at Murrayfield and you think you realise how big a game it is and then you get to play in it. When I played in hat first game and all the build up to it was unbelievable. We are very excited,” he said.

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Former England captain Chris Robshaw has backed the appointment of Steve Borthwick as head coach and says Owen Farrell is the right choice for captain.

“I think we have won one in the last five years. That’s where we are at and that’s why we understand we have a lot more work today.

“Scotland have been playing fantastic rugby for a long time. They are a pretty settled group of players and that shows with the way they’re playing.

“We want to give this crowd something to cheer about and show them how willing we are to fight for each other. I’ve been lucky enough to play at Twickenham a fair amount of times, and they have been times when it’s defening. The feeling and momentum you get from that is a different level.”