Vunipola: Farrell's a must for England... wherever he plays

Faz is a natural leader he gives us a clear direction of where we want to go, and he wants to be at the front of that Mako Vunipola

- Nick Purewal Rugby Correspondent

MAKO VUNIPOLA insists England’s players just want Owen Farrell on the pitch — whether at 10 or 12.

England suffered a shock 30-29 loss against Argentina last weekend, as they opened their Autumn Nations Series in frustrating fashion at Twickenham.

Eddie Jones’s men have now lost five matches in nine Tests in 2022, with just 12 more encounters ahead of next year’s World Cup in France.

Head coach Jones is determined to stick with the Marcus Smith-Owen Farrell axis at 10 and 12, leaving Farrell primed to start at inside centre for his 99th cap in Saturday’s clash with Japan at Twickenham.

Harlequins tyro Smith and Saracens skipper Farrell are working hard to generate a genuine attacking partnership, but that link-up lacked any real fluency in Saturday’s defeat by the Pumas.

Jones has certainly put his faith in Farrell by handing him the captaincy in Courtney Lawes’s absence through concussion.

And Vunipola hailed his long-term Saracens team-mate Farrell as the brains behind England’s attacking approach.