OWEN FARRELL will not be a part of England’s Six Nations squad after taking a break from rugby to prioritise his mental health.
The tournament kicks off on February 2 with England kicking off their campaign in Italy.
But they will do so without captain fly-half Farrell, who was hailed by coach Steve Borthwick for his decision to step away from playing duty.
Coach Borthwick said: “Everyone at England Rugby is fully behind Owen’s decision.
“Since making his debut, he has been an integral part of the England set up for over a decade and the demands on elite athletes are extremely challenging.
“He is an exemplary player, captain and leader and always gives his all for his country.
“It is with typical courage that Owen has made this decision to open up in this manner.
“Together with all of us at England Rugby, I will do everything I can to ensure that he has the support he requires going forward.”
Borthwick led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in October but they were narrowly beaten 15-16 by eventual winners South Africa.
And the coach has been left to pick up the pieces with comings and goings heading into the Six Nations.
Borthwick said after the World Cup: “I’ve already started looking forward to the Six Nations. The planning is in the early stages and already started in my mind.
“Naturally at the end of World Cups there are always some players that decide their time as a current England player will come to an end, but the age profile of the squad is strong.
“If you look at the semi-finals last week we had seven players who were 25 or under – more than any other team in the semi-finals.
“And there are a number of exciting young players that didn’t make the 33-man squad but who were part of the preparations over the summer.
“We know that the distribution positionally of those players isn’t necessarily even. We know there are some areas where we’re a bit thinner than others.
“I need to make sure we’re doing some work and finding some depth in those keys positions.
“That’s going to be part of my project over the next period of time along with my coaches.”
