The RFU worked out long before the government that Owen Paterson’s championing of Randox Health was on shaky ground. It ditched the testing company in March after several false positives led to mass disruption at Bath.
Ironically, England were left hoping for a mistake from their new partners on Friday morning when the squad’s PCR results revealed that Owen Farrell had tested positive for a second time.
The England captain and the players were tested again on Friday and the results confirmed it. There was no mistake from the Nottingham-based SourceBio International; Farrell would miss yesterday’s Tonga game and Saturday’s Cook Cup Test against Australia, throwing Eddie Jones’s autumn plans into further disarray.
Farrell was set to be at fly half because Marcus Smith had barely trained all week due to a leg injury, while George Ford, whose club form has piloted Leicester Tigers to the top of the Gallagher Premiership, was not in the squad.
Isolated in his hotel room at England’s headquarters, Farrell sits stranded on 99 international caps. All being well, he will bring up the century against South Africa on November 20, a team against whom he has filing cabinets full of unfinished business from the 2019 World Cup final and this summer’s British & Irish Lions tour. The RFU was dreading that the outbreak had spread beyond Farrell and one member of England’s backroom staff because it could ill afford to have another Twickenham match cancelled. Losing the Barbarians game last year cost them about £1 million; this sold-out occasion would have been much worse.
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Fortunately for Jones and the RFU the disruption was limited and England triggered plan B on Friday, informing Courtney Lawes that he would captain England for the first time and George Furbank that he would be fly half.
While expectations for years have been that Maro Itoje would develop into an England captain, it is Lawes, 32, who has grown into the more influential figure in camp. Once pigeonholed as an enforcer and terroriser of opposition fly halves, he has developed into a quiet leader and one of Jones’s most trusted lieutenants. On the rare occasions when Lawes has captained Northampton Saints, he has opted not for a rallying cry but to lead through deed and he carried this on to the international stage.
Lawes was responsible for two big moments: a try-saving tackle on Telusa Veainu after he had chased back 60m to catch the Tonga full back, and an inside pass leading to Itoje’s first-half try.
Lawes said on Friday that all would “be sweet” with Furbank at fly half, indicating just how many question marks there were over the promotion of his Saints team-mate to steer the ship for England.
England and Northampton both agree that Furbank is a full back who could be turned into a handy No 10 — a valuable versatility for a World Cup squad — although neither has really invested much game time into the project.
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Furbank has played at fly half for Saints in only four of his 40 appearances. Jones, however, never considered elevating Smith off the bench due to his injury.
So out Furbank strode at Twickenham, dressed in red, matador to the Tongan back row. Lawes was right; all was sweet. It was a test of character that the 25-year-old passed comfortably.
The smooth, unflustered accent of his play will have impressed Jones, who places great stock in how players perform when thrust outside of their comfort zone.
Furbank fizzed a couple of passes as England applied early pressure and then turned NFL blocker to disrupt Afusipa Taumoepeau’s attempt to halt Adam Radwan from scoring the opening try.
England rotated their first receiver, using Henry Slade and Ellis Genge at times, which allowed Furbank to pop up in positions he is more used to as a full back. His contributions in attack were bright, accurate and effective.
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Furbank darted through a closing gap to make a line break and was not afraid to invite pressure on to him, trusting in his quick hands to get the pass away. He was clattered by two defenders but released Manu Tuilagi down the right wing, launching an attack that was finished by Jonny May.
Smith, at Twickenham for the first time since learning of his Lions call-up during England’s summer victory over Canada, was given the last half hour, allowing Furbank to sit and reflect on a whirlwind 48 hours from which he emerged with reputation enhanced.
