Owen Farrell’s positive test means England’s head coach has big worries ahead of Tonga’s arrival to Twickenham on Saturday
Not since that distant autumn week in 2000 when England’s players went on strike has there been a more fraught home buildup to a November international at Twickenham. Eddie Jones has been looking forward to his side’s opening game with Tonga for months but his best-laid plans are in danger of disintegrating after his captain Owen Farrell’s positive test for Covid-19.
Having returned a positive PCR test result, Farrell had to miss England’s final team run after being told to isolate at their Bagshot hotel. While all other players and staff have so far tested negative, an unnamed backroom staff member also returned a positive lateral flow test on Thursday and the RFU will now have its fingers tightly crossed that the virus does not spread further across a squad which, it is understood, contains some unvaccinated players.