The goal-kicking advice Jonny Wilkinson has given Owen Farrell

England skipper Owen Farrell has been working with Jonny Wilkinson to reverse the goal-kicking slump that has affected him throughout the Guinness Six Nations. Farrell has completed only seven of his 15 shots at goal across the first three rounds of England’s campaign, a success rate of just 47 per cent.

The red rose captain was most wayward in the 20-10 victory over Wales when he landed only two out of six attempts. Since the visit to Cardiff, Farrell has been working with England kicking guru Wilkinson, the star of the nation’s 2003 World Cup triumph.

“Half of it is overthinking, so it is about trying to take it back. I obviously know how to kick,” Farrell said. “I have hit some where I have missed but have been happy with how I have hit them. I have hit some where I have been off.

“It’s trying not to overthink one or the other too much, trying not to fix everything and just to get back to kicking the ball as well as I can. It’s also having an attitude that irons them all out – a whole view of it so that you don’t overly pick at little things, which is probably what I have been doing.

“But I have been in this situation before and I’m sure I will again at some point, so it’s making sure I get back to enjoying my kicks. Part of the answer is trying not to work every single kick out and bounce around from one thing to another. It’s just to kick.”