Eddie Jones revealed that Owen Farrell was “very unhappy” about losing the England captaincy after replacing him with Courtney Lawes for the upcoming series against Australia.

Farrell returns to the side for Saturday’s first Test against the Wallabies in Perth, his first appearance since November, but Jones’ decision to stick with Lawes represents a sea change. Farrell has held the position since 2018, but in his absence, this season, Tom Curry and Lawes have both stepped in, with Jones opting to stick with the latter. The last time Farrell captained England was in the 2018 Six Nations, but Lawes has proven to be a popular leader among the squad.

When Jones named his squad this month, the day before England left for Australia, he revealed that he had already informed his players about the captaincy but chose not to make his decision public.

When asked how Farrell felt about the decision, Jones said, “Very unhappy.” “We want Owen to be at his best, and he’s been out for a while, so this is an opportunity for him to play three Tests back to back and produce his best,” he added.

“Owen is a man who expresses himself clearly, and he aspires to be captain.” He was upset when I told him he wasn’t going to be captain. But that’s fine. He’s been out of the team for a while now, and we believe it’s the best thing for the team and for Owen, who is a vital player for us.

I believe he played 96 Tests for England and has won every trophy in the world except the World Cup.” He’s a fair player who contributes significantly to our success. Given the amount of time he has had off, we want him to focus on these three Tests and being the best player he can be.”