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'Humble' England set to fire

'Humble' England set to fire

01/27/2012 07:18:51 PM

England's new youthful squad will reap the dividends of a 'humble' group of players and a brave new world where anyone with an ego is not welcome.

That is the opinion of the two Farrells in the England set-up: assistant coach Andy and his 20-year-old son Owen, hotly tipped to start in the Six Nations opener against Scotland.

England's meltdown after the Rugby World Cup has led to a new group rising from the ashes under interim head coach Stuart Lancaster with a fresh approach and fresh faces too.

Andy Farrell, head coach at Saracens, believes there are grounds for optimism.

He said: "We won't know how they'll perform until we go out there at Murrayfield but the squad's got excitement, it's got characters and it's got leaders.

"It's got guys who complement each other and it's got no egos in it.

"It's not about someone being the best player in the world, it's about whether he can play for the team.

"There will be challenges ahead but if we can mould a side that fights for one another I think we can surprise a few."

Owen Farrell, expected to be chosen at centre, believes the squad's group mentality will shine through in the matches.

He added: "It shows when you go out to training having just watched a couple of videos of how we want to play and it pretty much sticks straight away. We all get it and we all gel together pretty quickly.

"It just shows what a humble group this is, with hard-working individuals all working towards the same goal and hopefully it's going to be special.

"Being here and even being considered for your country is a massive honour and I am massively excited about being here.

"It's a special occasion to come to your first England training session and to be made feel like you fit in."

Farrell senior insists he will have no problem putting family ties to one side when it comes to deciding whether Owen should make England's starting team.

He said: "As a coaching group we will make the right call for this group and that's the only way to do it.

"We will discuss what's right for our philosophy of play and how we want to play and we'll pick a team accordingly."

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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