Why is Owen Farrell not playing for England vs France? Why captain was benched for Six Nations 2023 match

Jonathan Burnett

•
Why is Owen Farrell not playing for England vs France? Why captain was benched for Six Nations 2023 match image

Five English Premiership Titles. Three European Champions Cups. Two-times European Rugby player of the year. One hundred and four England caps. Three British and Irish Lions tours. Benched.

Owen Farrell has been a mainstay of England's national rugby union side for well over a decade now, being equally adept at playing fly-half or inside centre. He captained England to the World Cup final in 2019, but ahead of their 2023 Six Nations match against France, new head coach Steve Borthwick dropped the Saracen to the bench in favour of Harlequins playmaker Marcus Smith.

The Smith-Farrell combination — playing the pair at fly-half and inside centre respectively — was a project started by former coach Eddie Jones, but it has taken a different direction under Borthwick. After using the two together against Scotland in his debut match in charge, Smith was benched for victories over Italy and Wales but returned to the starting XV in Farrell's place against France.

The upcoming match is only Borthwick's fourth in charge of England and could simply be an experimental rotation to test the mettle of Smith in this crucial game. Borthwick has both played alongside and coached Farrell for club and country in the past, with the decision to bench the England captain not being one he'll have taken lightly, but will this radical shake-up to the back-line produce the desired result?

MORE: Who is England rugby coach Steve Borthwick?

Why was Owen Farrell dropped?

Farrell, and England, have had a so-so start to the 2023 Six Nations, with three games down and two to go. Their opening weekend defeat at Twickenham saw Borthwick's side come from behind twice, but Duhan van der Merwe's late try won it for Scotland. Wins over Italy and Wales in the corresponding fixtures have kept England's title hopes alive, but their back-line play has been lacking fluidity.

Farrell's accuracy off the tee, which has been ever-dependable for over 10 years, has also come into question in this year's tournament. Missing two conversions against both Scotland and Italy could be brushed off, but Farrell's record against Wales was woeful, missing two conversions and penalties apiece. Had those 10 extra points been slotted over, England's victory would have been far more comfortable than the 20-10 scoreline suggests.

England's winning try-scorer in Cardiff is arguably the main reason for the alteration at fly-half, though. With Smith dropped and Farrell moved inside, Bath centre Ollie Lawrence slotted seamlessly into the 12 shirt, producing a man-of-the-match performance against Italy and providing constant problems for Wales, capping off another impressive display with a late score.

Lawrence's form has added a new dimension to England's shaky attack, providing a powerful carrying option in midfield to complement the extra playmaking options provided by Henry Slade at 13. With the two centres working together, Borthwick clearly feels that Smith's eyes-up, dynamic flair can open up the French defence, saying that "for this game, I think it's the right decision to start Marcus".

Who will captain England against France?

With Farrell starting on the bench for the first time in a Six Nations match, loosehead prop Ellis Genge will lead England out against France at Twickenham in what will be a career high for the Bristol Bears forward. An incumbent in World Rugby's international XV of 2022, the 28-year-old scored in Borthwick's first match against Scotland and has been one of England's most consistent performers throughout this year's championship.

Borthwick stated in his pre-match press conference that Farrell will enter the field of play towards the latter stages of the game, if not earlier, and will resume his captaincy duties regardless of whether Genge has been withdrawn or not. The England coach said: "Ellis will captain the team, and then Owen will captain the team when he comes onto the pitch. They are two brilliant men, who these players get behind."

MORE: England breeze past Wales in Six Nations grudge match

Why was Owen Farrell banned?

Playing without Farrell from the start may be the case for England's fourth match of the tournament, but they were nearly without their captain right from the off. Prior to their opening match against Scotland, Farrell faced a ban for a high tackle against Gloucester but, after being given a four-match stint on the sideline, Farrell only served three before lining up in the centres at Twickenham on Saturday, February 4.

This reduced ban was thanks to Farrell attending a World Rugby coaching intervention programme — colloquially known as 'tackle school' — which saw his four-game ban dropped down a peg to three. Having sat out three club games for Saracens, he was free to captain England in Borthwick's debut Test in charge.

In his pre-match press conference, Borthwick underlined the importance of Farrell in the England camp, saying that: "He trains brilliantly, he leads this team fantastically well, whatever role he is playing. He has been incredible this week." However, this isn't the first time Farrell's tackling style has come under scrutiny. His four-match ban was initially six before appeal, and a previous five-week suspension in September 2020 denied him any more leeway. 

With the RFU and the rest of the world's governing bodies looking at ways to improve tackle techniques — and, crucially, lower the height of collisions — Farrell's high-risk style must change sooner rather than later in order to prevent the England captain spending more time off the pitch than he does on it.

MORE: Netflix's Six Nations series: What we know so far

Owen Farrell England stats, record

Starting his international career as a fresh-faced 20-year-old in the 2012 Six Nations, Farrell has since amassed 104 England caps, as well as six more in Test matches for the British and Irish Lions across their three most recent tours in 2013, 2017 and 2021 respectively.

Owen Farrell England stats

Team Caps Wins Losses Draws Tries Conversions Penalties Drop Goals Points
England 104 70 31 3 8 186 237 3 1142
British & Irish Lions 6 3 1 2 — 2 10 — 34

Jonathan Burnett

Jonathan Burnett Photo

Jonathan is a freelance content producer and commentator for Sporting News UK, with a focus on international rugby tournaments like the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup. He also works as a commentator for StatsPerform’s football network, covering matches across Europe including the Champions League, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2023 Women's World Cup. He’s a regular contributor to the history and statistics website Rugby League Project.

Jonny graduated from Leeds University with a journalism degree in 2021 and was Head of Media at Widnes Vikings RLFC in 2023. A self-confessed nerd of rugby league, union and football (soccer). Jonathan’s coverage across several sports can be found on the TSN site.