Owen Farrell insists England ‘will go in and have a go’ against New Zealand

Owen Farrell is not given to dramatic statements or rousing pre-match rhetoric but there is no disguising the intent in the voice of England’s young fly-half. “We won’t go into the game trying to just hold them out,” he says softly, looking ahead to Saturday’s Twickenham Test against New Zealand. “We will go in and have a go. We will be positive in the way we play.”

Talk tends to be easier in the week of an All Blacks game than reaching Saturday night with a victory to back it up. In Farrell’s case, though, there is not the remotest shred of arrogance or bombast. He is simply making it crystal clear that England, far from reverting to safety-first mode following their 3-0 series defeat in New Zealand in June, plan to bounce back spectacularly on the opening weekend of the autumn internationals.

Farrell, it is easy to forget, started only one of those three summer Tests. He missed the first in Auckland because of the previous weekend’s Premiership final and was injured for the third in Hamilton, which England lost at a canter. His involvement, therefore, was the agonising 28-27 defeat in Dunedin, a game the visitors deservedly led early in the second half. With Saturday’s game being staged at a sold-out Twickenham, he and England cannot wait to have another crack.

New Zealand are wearily accustomed to being everyone’s No1 target but, according to Farrell, there is a rising belief within the home camp that England have yet to show the world their full capabilities. Out on the training field at Pennyhill Park, in particular, Farrell has sensed a growing confidence and tactical cohesion, despite the personnel disruptions of recent days. “Everybody knows what is expected of them. As a group we are pushing each other along and getting better. It is the things people don’t see, the detail of what goes on off the field and on it.

“It is not normally big shifts [in ability] that you get, it is little constant improvements. Maybe it is so subtle that people might not see it but we certainly see it here. We feel we are definitely going in the right direction and now we have to put in the performances to back that up.”

Given Farrell had played precious little rugby before Saracens’ defeat by Munster late last month as he recuperated from a quad muscle injury, he might be considered slightly underdone for a key playmaker entering a game of this magnitude.

The warrior mentality which has earned him 25 England caps before the age of 23 and seen him feature on a victorious Lions tour is undimmed, though, and he is excited about what England might achieve if and when they do get it right.

He remains respectful, even so, of New Zealand, regardless of whether Dan Carter, Aaron Cruden or Beauden Barrett wears the black No10 jersey. “This morning we’ve had a backs’ meeting where we’ve previewed what they do. We’ve picked out certain individuals but it’s generally about how they try to work as a team. There are three brilliant fly-halves there … all of them fit brilliantly into the way New Zealand play. But for us it’s about making sure we get our stuff right.”

That will involve yet another different midfield triangle, with Farrell expected to team up with Kyle Eastmond and Brad Barritt in the absence of the injured Manu Tuilagi and Luther Burrell. On paper the balance looks fine, although much of the kicking pressure will be heaped on Farrell’s youthful shoulders.He has heard Lancaster talking about the possibility of playing George Ford at 10 and him at 12 one day but reckons it would require a tactical rejig.

“If that were to happen you would have a second No10 on the field rather than an out-and-out 12. I don’t think he’d want me to move to 10 and play any differently. If I was to move to 12 he’d still want me to play as a 10.”

For now, though, it is Farrell who holds the keys to No10 while Ford, Henry Slade, Stephen Myler, Danny Cipriani and Freddie Burns form an orderly queue behind him. Having scored 17 points in England’s famous 38-21 win over the All Blacks in this same fixture in 2012 – his first year as a Test player, when he was nominated alongside Richie McCaw and Carter for the IRB player of the year award – he also knows what beating New Zealand feels like.

“I guess it was a special moment but I don’t look back at it too much now,” he says, the brow furrowing once more. “I’ve been involved in some big things so far in my career but the main thing is making sure there are some more.”