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Published 16:30 18 Jan 2022 GMT
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"He has the respect of the team, he is a winner and the right man to lead the team. He drives the competitive spirit of the team."Marcus Smith's form for Harlequins and England - as well as a Lions tour game cameo - have seen many rugby fans, and pundits, press his case to be No.10 for his country. During an interview with the BBC, Jones was not arguing the point. Smith looks set to continue as starting 10 while Farrell will be just outside him, in the 12 jersey. Asked if Jones had considered selecting Farrell purely as a player and not burdening him with the captaincy, the Australia said:
"At the moment, he's the right guy for the job, mate. You talk about Marcus, he's going to be an important player for us. He could be an absolutely brilliant 10, so he needs to have a 12 next to him that can run the game for him. That's where Owen is so good."Former England and Lions scrumhalf, Matt Dawson was one of the men - along with Chris Jones - interviewing Jones. He said it would be "foolish" to say Owen Farrell was in form and, quite pointedly, asked, "When does the credit run out?" "That's a judgement you make," Jones replied, "and that is something we're assessing all the time." Hardly a glowing, line in the sand, 'he's my guy' endorsement for Farrell, but the England star will back his abilities and temperament when the championship comes around. Other centres in the England squad include Joe Marchant, Henry Slade, Mark Atkinson and the uncapped Luke Northmore from Harlequins. Asked if he would like Farrell to get minutes under his belt with Saracens before the Six Nations starts, Jones said he will 'hopefully play this week' against Wasps. LISTEN TO HOUSE OF RUGBY:
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