Owen Farrell on the verge of his 50th cap


Owen Farrell says he will never allow himself to feel comfortable in the England set-up.

Farrell looks set to win his 50th cap against Italy at Twickenham on Sunday but says he does not even take a place in the team for granted.

The Saracens man has emerged as the heartbeat of Eddie Jones' side and may be moved from centre to fly-half for the visit of the Italians.

But Farrell thinks any complacency could lead to a fall in the standards which have helped England compile an amazing 16 victories in a row.

"I don't think you ever feel comfortable and I don't think that anyone here would tell you that they feel comfortable," said Farrell.

"And that's the way it should be, because there has to be a drive to constantly improve.

"I've not thought about winning the 50th cap too much. I need to get picked first and have a good week.

"The thing here is that it's all about getting better and I go on about it, but that's all I concentrate on."

Farrell made his debut against Scotland four years ago and agrees that he has developed into a more complete package as a player since then.

"I hope I have improved a lot and have come a long way since my debut," he said.

"It was alright - there were quite a few new caps at the same time as me, so there were a few of us in the same position.

"Of course I was nervous, you probably build it up into something that it is not. It is another game, but you are going into the unknown."

Farrell's development as a playmaker has accelerated under the guidance of Jones and the 25-year-old added: "The more aware you are of things, the more control you can have

"It's not something you can really work too hard on. I guess you can have an awareness of it and therefore be more in control of it."

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