Owen Farrell and his England team mates at relegation-bound Saracens will be ready when called upon for Test rugby, the London club insisted last night.
On the day Red Rose captain Farrell confirmed his long-term future at Sarries, Eddie Jones said he would have no problem picking Saracens players during the club’s year in the Championship.
Head coach Jones stressed that as long as Farrell, Jamie George, Mako and Billy Vunipola, Elliot Daly and Maro Itoje maintain their standards, they will remain central to his plans.
“I will be comfortable if they are in good form,” Jones said. “Players who have a track record of Test match success, I have a pretty good idea of where they are and where they need to be.
“Without wishing to sound too grandiose if I look at Owen Farrell it does not matter what game he plays, I will have a pretty good understanding of where he is.”
Saracens boss Mark McCall endorsed Jones’ words, saying Farrell remains “relentless in pushing everyone in the organisation - players and staff - to be better every day.
“Quite simply,” he added. “Saracens would not be the club it is without Owen.”
For all that, the club’s demotion for multiple salary cap breaches means the build-up to the 2021 Lions for potential tourists will be far from ideal - involving second tier games at clubs such as Ampthill and Jersey.
But Kevin Sorrell, Sarries backs coach, had re-assuring words for England and the Lions.
“There’s a reason these boys are Test match players,” he said. “There’s a reason they’re proper competitive.
“The nature of these players is that they squeeze everything they possibly can out of every session they do. They set the standards.
“That’s inbuilt in them, something they’ve learned over a period of time. I’d be absolutely confident they’ll be able to function from a physical point of view.”
Sorrell said that Phil Morrow, Saracens’ head of performance and himself a Lions tourist in 2017, would work with England to ensure conditioning programmes were fit for purpose.
Jones’ other concern during lockdown was that he could lose the services of Manu Tuilagi when the wrecking ball centre quit Leicester.
He says they spoke twice on the phone and “I gave him a small piece of advice”. The upshot was Tuilagi remaining in the Premiership with Sale and thus eligible to add to his 43 caps.
“I am delighted by his decision as he is a valuable Test player,” said the Australian. “His performance in the World Cup and the Six Nations indicates there is still more in him.”
