Owen Farrell insists England have not yet had ‘perfect performance’ despite 100 per cent record in 2016

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Chris Jones5 December 2016

Owen Farrell epitomises England’s bid for rugby perfection that has already earned head coach Eddie Jones an unbeaten first year in charge and made challenging New Zealand as the game’s No1 team an attainable target.

As Farrell reflected on another job well done, having helped guide England to a 13th win this year after defeating Australia 37-21, the Saracens man was already looking towards the defence of the Grand Slam, which starts with a home game against France on February 4.

“You have to find ways to win and you see the best teams do it and everyone is chasing the perfect performance and we will keep trying to get to that and see where that takes us,” said Farrell.

“We were talking about it the other day: the perfect performance is not without making mistakes but being in control. We have played against some brilliant teams, so it is never going to go like that. You’re looking for a joined-up performance and everyone firing.

“It won’t be like that at all the time, so we have to be on at each other but in the right way.”

This relentless quest to be the best was already underpinning Farrell’s rugby life at Saracens, where he was crucial to last season’s Premiership and European Champions Cup double.

The arrival of Jones has only convinced the most consistent goal kicker in Test rugby that his obsession is good for him.

Jones has now beaten Australia 4-0 this year and is in charge of a team that has gone 14 matches unbeaten, while another Slam triumph would create a world record 19 successive victories.

“The belief he [Jones] gives the lads is brilliant and nothing really is surprising about what has been done,” added Farrell. “It’s enjoyable and we are training hard and enjoying ourselves because we are working hard together.

“When you train hard and sessions go well, you take that into the weekend and a performance then is enjoyable. That’s been the case this autumn and the last year and let’s see where that takes us.

Jones loves Farrell’s mindset and has made him one of the team’s vice-captains, believing the Sarries player is his “standard bearer” in a side that overcame the loss of key players Billy Vunipola, James Haskell, Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell, Joe Launchbury, Maro Itoje and Jack Clifford to remain unbeaten.

Farrell returns to European action with Sarries next weekend still battling to regain full fitness following his delayed start to the season with a back problem. It makes the quality of his performances in the four Old Mutual Wealth Series matches all the more impressive.

With Ireland the final game in the Six Nations and Joe Schmidt’s men having beaten Australia, South Africa and New Zealand this year, Jones knows he will need all of his major players fit and ready.

“The Six Nations, in my limited experience of it, is a different competition to the autumn,” said Jones.

“Being an outsider to the Six Nations, I thought there was an absolute fear of losing rather than wanting to win. What we want to do in the Six Nations is go out there and win it.”

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