Owen Farrell confident of being fit for Six Nations opener against Ireland
Owen Farrell had a minor surgery on his thumb
©PA
England have been handed a major boost ahead of the Six Nations 2019 opener against Ireland in Dublin after skipper Owen Farrell said he is expected to be available for the high voltage encounter on 2nd February.
Farrell missed last weekend's Champions Cup game for Saracens against Glasgow Warriors after he decided to undergo a surgery on his thumb creating doubts over his participation for the game against Joe Schmidt's men.
However, the 27-year-old revealed that the procedure has gone as per the plan and is expected to train at the end of this week which will be a relief to England coach Eddie Jones with Dylan Hartley already ruled out of the game against Ireland with an injury.
"The hand is good. I had something small done to it on the weekend," Farrell said at the Six Nations launch.
"I should be training towards the end of this week. It was a gradual thing and is something small.
"I'm confident, yes. [on playing against Ireland]"
It remains to be seen whether Jones will slot Farrell at fly-half for the game against Ireland or prefer a 10-12 combination with George Ford and him..
“I’m confident Owen’s going to play and we’ve got George there so we’re well stocked for number 10s at the moment," said Jones.
Meanwhile, Ireland coach Schmidt has also expressed confidence on playmaker Johnny Sexton's availability for the Dublin clash.
The World Rugby Player of the Year 2018 has been sidelined with knee injury but is expected to resume full training this week.
