Farrell not fazed by England selection row

Owen Farrell has insisted all the controversy surrounding England coach Stuart Lancaster's decision to start him at fly-half for the crucial World Cup match against Wales won't bother him at all.

Lancaster dropped George Ford, whom Farrell has known since they were at school together as young teenagers, to the bench for Saturday's crunch fixture at Twickenham, even though the Bath back has been his starting No 10 for the best part of a year.

But with Saracens star Farrell impressing off the bench in hosts England's tournament- opening 35-11 win over Fiji last weekend, the Saracens playmaker is now in a pivotal role for the first of a series of a heavyweight clashes in a 'Pool of Death' also featuring two-time world champions Australia.

The son of England backs coach Andy Farrell, Owen's inclusion in a revamped back division where rugby league convert Sam Burgess starts in place of the injured Jonathan Joseph has led to suggestions Lancaster has opted for a more conservative game plan against a Welsh midfield featuring powerful centre Jamie Roberts.

"What reaction?," Owen Farrell told reporters at Twickenham when asked about the debate his selection at fly-half had generated.

"People can say what they want. It's the people inside the camp that count to me. External factors don't matter to us. The people who matter are inside the camp, not outside.

"All I want to do is my job. It doesn't motivate me.

"We go into the game excited. It's a massive challenge and we are looking forward to it. This is why you play rugby, to be involved in games like this."

Farrell added he had no problem with adjusting his game to match conditions.

"Obviously we go in with a plan but you have to be open to what's in front of you," he said.

- Obsessed -

Mike Ford, George's father and his coach at Bath, said his son had been "devastated and gutted" in being demoted to the bench, but Farrell said his relationship with his close friend was unaltered by Lancaster's selection call.

"We have been exactly the same. Absolutely normal. We talk about everything anyway, it's pretty open between us," Farrell said as he prepared to face a Wales side who beat Uruguay 54-9 last week.

"It's exactly the same as it was last week, as it was in the autumn when he got picked and I went on the bench. Exactly the same.

"We've played with each other since we went to school together at 13 or 14 and then played for England at Under-16, 18 and 20 levels. We are just open with each other.

"Rugby-wise we are two people who are obsessed with the game. We like to talk about it and we are probably a bit boring -- all we talk about is rugby."

Meanwhile England forwards coach Graham Rowntree indicated talk of a 'first-choice' team at a World Cup was misplaced, with the whole 31-man squad set for important roles.

"I can't stress enough, it is a 31-man job," said the former England prop.

"This week it is the selection we have picked that we think is appropriate to play Wales."

Rowntree added: "You've got to choose the right tools for what's in front of you. That's what most teams do around the world -- that's selection.

"For this game, we've gone with those players. We could change it next week but we are entitled to do so. It's incorrect to just put out the same team every week.

"You've got to play things appropriately in terms of selection and who you are going to play against."
Source: AFP

Owen Farrell has insisted all the controversy surrounding England coach Stuart Lancaster's decision to start him at fly-half for the crucial World Cup match against Wales won't bother him at all.

Lancaster dropped George Ford, whom Farrell has known since they were at school together as young teenagers, to the bench for Saturday's crunch fixture at Twickenham, even though the Bath back has been his starting No 10 for the best part of a year.

But with Saracens star Farrell impressing off the bench in hosts England's tournament- opening 35-11 win over Fiji last weekend, the Saracens playmaker is now in a pivotal role for the first of a series of a heavyweight clashes in a 'Pool of Death' also featuring two-time world champions Australia.

The son of England backs coach Andy Farrell, Owen's inclusion in a revamped back division where rugby league convert Sam Burgess starts in place of the injured Jonathan Joseph has led to suggestions Lancaster has opted for a more conservative game plan against a Welsh midfield featuring powerful centre Jamie Roberts.

"What reaction?," Owen Farrell told reporters at Twickenham when asked about the debate his selection at fly-half had generated.

"People can say what they want. It's the people inside the camp that count to me. External factors don't matter to us. The people who matter are inside the camp, not outside.

"All I want to do is my job. It doesn't motivate me.

"We go into the game excited. It's a massive challenge and we are looking forward to it. This is why you play rugby, to be involved in games like this."

Farrell added he had no problem with adjusting his game to match conditions.

"Obviously we go in with a plan but you have to be open to what's in front of you," he said.

- Obsessed -

Mike Ford, George's father and his coach at Bath, said his son had been "devastated and gutted" in being demoted to the bench, but Farrell said his relationship with his close friend was unaltered by Lancaster's selection call.

"We have been exactly the same. Absolutely normal. We talk about everything anyway, it's pretty open between us," Farrell said as he prepared to face a Wales side who beat Uruguay 54-9 last week.

"It's exactly the same as it was last week, as it was in the autumn when he got picked and I went on the bench. Exactly the same.

"We've played with each other since we went to school together at 13 or 14 and then played for England at Under-16, 18 and 20 levels. We are just open with each other.

"Rugby-wise we are two people who are obsessed with the game. We like to talk about it and we are probably a bit boring -- all we talk about is rugby."

Meanwhile England forwards coach Graham Rowntree indicated talk of a 'first-choice' team at a World Cup was misplaced, with the whole 31-man squad set for important roles.

"I can't stress enough, it is a 31-man job," said the former England prop.

"This week it is the selection we have picked that we think is appropriate to play Wales."

Rowntree added: "You've got to choose the right tools for what's in front of you. That's what most teams do around the world -- that's selection.

"For this game, we've gone with those players. We could change it next week but we are entitled to do so. It's incorrect to just put out the same team every week.

"You've got to play things appropriately in terms of selection and who you are going to play against."
Source: AFP