Rising rugby star Farrell defends coach Lancaster

England rising star Owen Farrell came to the aid of coach Stuart Lancaster on Wednesday after the Test chief was damned as merely "trying not to lose" by Leicester counterpart Matt O'Connor. Former Australia international O'Connor is furious at the way Leicester halfbacks Ben Youngs and Toby Flood have been treated by Lancaster during this season's Six Nations. Tigers scrum-half Youngs and fly-half Flood were England's first choice halfback pairing throughout last year's Six Nations but have both lost their places this season through injury and loss of form. However, Leicester coach O'Connor is unhappy his playmaking duo have been discarded by interim coach Lancaster, appointed on a caretaker basis following Martin Johnson's post World Cup resignation. "We consistently score the most tries in the Premiership because of those two blokes," O'Connor told the Leicester Mercury. "But the powers-that-be at England have not fully appreciated what they can offer a team. England don't want creative players, they are just trying not to lose. "There is nothing I have seen so far (in the Six Nations) that indicates England want to go out and beat teams." Farrell has as much, if not more, reason to be annoyed by O'Connor's comments as Lancaster, a candidate for the full-time England job. The 20-year-old Farrell, all of whose three caps have come under Lancaster in this Six Nations, was moved from centre for a first Test at fly-half in the absence of injured Saracens colleague Charlie Hodgson during the recent 19-12 defeat by World Cup semi-finalists Wales at Twickenham. Although England lost, Farrell won widespread praise for his performance after being selected at No 10 by Lancaster ahead of the vastly more experienced and fit-again Flood, who was on the bench. English champions Saracens have often been labelled as excessively conservative by their Premiership rivals. And for Farrell the criticism hurts all the more because his father Andy, the former dual code international, has been seconded from Sarries' backroom staff to a position as one of Lancaster's assistants. "We are excited about the way we (England) are playing at the minute," said Farrell, who had Lee Dickson inside him against Wales after the Northampton scrum-half forced his way into the starting side after coming off the bench to replace Youngs in the wins away to Scotland and Italy. "I don't see how else you go into a rugby game (but trying to win it). The way we played the game against Wales the other week proved that." But O'Connor said Lancaster, as a result of his novice halfback pairing, was failing to bring the best out of fullback Ben Foden and wing Chris Ashton. "Chris Ashton, Ben Foden, Toby Flood and Ben Youngs have won England every big game they have won in the last 18 months against the good sides," O'Connor said. "At the moment, you wouldn't know that Ashton and Foden are on the field! "Those guys, along with (Leicester centre) Manu Tuilagi are as good a back line as there is anywhere in the world but they never see the ball. "If you are talking about building a side for the World Cup in 2015 (in England), you have to go out and play." England, currently third in the Six Nations table behind Wales and France, face France in Paris on Sunday and conclude their campaign at home to Ireland on March 17.