Wilkinson wants Owen Farrell representing England

With less than a month to go until the rugby union Autumn internationals begin, England World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson has declared that Owen Farrell should be picked in the squad. At the minute, the Saracens player is recovering from a leg injury, however the club’s director of rugby, Mark McCall, has said he expects him to be fit for their next match Premiership match at home to Gloucester.

“[Owen] Farrell has served his time, he’s in charge of the shirt and you can’t say he’s really put a foot wrong,” Wilkinson said.

“He’s taken on huge amounts of responsibility and is happy to put his neck on the line in a sport that can be fairly ruthless, especially with the decision makers responsible for directing the team and largely accountable for what the final score says.

“A young guy who’s willing to do that and has already shown he’s very capable of doing it is a bit of Godsend – you don’t want to throw those away, believe me.”

Wilkinson also dubbed Bath’s George Ford as a rival for Farrell’s position, as well as Freddie Burns, who plies his trade for Leicester, and Danny Cipriani of Sale.

However, with England’s first match against world champions New Zealand at Twickenham looming, it appears Farrell is Wilkinson’s choice.

“[Owen] Farrell has served his time, he’s in charge of the shirt and you can’t say he’s really put a foot wrong.

“He’s taken on huge amounts of responsibility and is happy to put his neck on the line in a sport that can be fairly ruthless, especially with the decision makers responsible for directing the team and largely accountable for what the final score says,” continued Wilkinson, who is an ambassador for the 2015 World Cup, a tournament that hosts England are 10/3 second-favourites to win behind the All Blacks who are 6/4.

“A young guy who’s willing to do that and has already shown he’s very capable of doing it is a bit of Godsend – you don’t want to throw those away, believe me.”