Marcus Smith and George Furbank shine after captain Owen Farrell has to pull out following positive Covid test
It is not often that England have played without Owen Farrell under Eddie Jones so perhaps the greatest significance of this overwhelming victory against Tonga is that maybe they have finally proved they can cope without him. Certainly, if Farrell’s absence was the talk of Twickenham beforehand, Marcus Smith’s eye-catching cameo ensured his was the name on supporters’ lips on the journey home.
Farrell was, of course, ruled out here due to his positive Covid-19 test but there have been only three occasions in Jones’s previous 66 matches in charge when England’s captain was available for selection but overlooked from the squad.
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