Owen Farrell has the drive and desire to go right to top, says Steve Borthwick

Owen Farrell’s approach to the impending landmark of his 50th England cap is now a familiar one – “I’ve not thought about it too much. I need to get picked first.” Of course he will get picked, he may even captain the side if Dylan Hartley does not keep his place, but do not expect him to stop and smell the roses: “It’s not too different from what you’d do anyway.”

So what are the highlights of the 25-year-old’s 49 caps so far, which include 66 points in the series win in Australia last summer and 562 in total, at a strike-rate that suggests he will eclipse Jonny WIlkinson’s national record? “There’s not something that sticks out above the rest.”

Sentimentality would not appear to be one of Farrell’s traits, but then a momentary lapse. “I have got some special things at home, but not too many,” he says. “I’ve got two shirts framed; that’s all – my first Premiership [final] with Saracens and my first England cap. They’re not signed by anyone, they’re not even washed. They stink.”

To say that the Farrell facade is one of moody teenager would be wrong, however. Rather it is one of a perfectionist with a relentless drive to improve. Eddie Jones says he cannot be coached – the implication being that he does it all himself anyway – with a dedication so evidently inherited from his father, Andy. Steve Borthwick, England’s forwards coach and Farrell’s former captain at Saracens, is not talking fashion when he says “he’s got pretty good genes”.

Borthwick does not wax lyrical about much but get him going on Farrell and he quickly builds up a head of steam. “The one that struck me was when we played a Heineken Cup game against Racing,” he says. “There were three different times in the game when we were down by 13 points and we had him playing at [the age of] 20‑21 and he was always totally composed, saying: ‘How are we going to win this game?’ This is a 21-year-old which was just a sign of the future for him. He’s got a tremendous competitive spirit and a brilliant composure under pressure.”

And there is the nub of it with Farrell. Ever since he won his first cap, in February 2012 in Stuart Lancaster’s first match in charge, his most talked about qualities have been his leadership, his composure, his competitive edge.

There is a telling video of Paul O’Connell getting stuck into the 2013 Lions after their tour opener against the Barbarians that includes the line “the guy is 22 years of age and barking at everyone, driving everyone around the pitch. We should all be doing it”.

It became a footnote to Elliot Daly’s blistering finish in Cardiff but Farrell’s nerveless conversion from the touchline ensured Wales needed more than a penalty in the final few minutes. And the manner in which he dusted himself down after Ross Moriarty’s marginally late hit would suggest he has eradicated the impetuousness from his competitive streak. “I’m more in control now,” says Farrell. How? “Just more aware of it.”

It has taken a lot longer for his playmaking talents – so evident in the killer pass to Daly – to be wholly appreciated. Look back to that jittery victory over Scotland in 2012 and you see a pluckiness without any great polish but as Farrell himself puts it: “There have been a lot of things changed since then, it’s a long time ago now in rugby terms and you hope you get better each year, week, game. It’s not for me to say – but hopefully I have come a long way since then.”

Truth is, his playmaking improvements have been vast. There are few more demanding of a place in Warren Gatland’s Lions side, whether at No10 or 12, than Farrell at present. Fly-half is the most likely on Sunday after Jones named a 24-man squad with Jonathan Joseph left out – Daly is likely to start at outside-centre with Ben Te’o in the frame at No12.

Italy have confirmed a new fly-half in Tommaso Allan while Exeter’s Michele Campagnaro also comes into the side at outside-centre in one of four changes made by Conor O’Shea, whose side will encounter an England team not in the mood for another nail-biting finish.

“There’s not one thing that stands out from the [Wales] game that you think: ‘Our attack didn’t work, our defence didn’t work,’” says Farrell. “They all worked at times. They all had good bits in the game. Now it’s about making sure that we have better patches for longer.”

That relentlessness in evidence again. It makes you wonder if Farrell enjoys his profession. “I’m not restless. Who said I’m restless? I enjoy playing, I enjoy training, I enjoy thinking about it, I enjoy talking about it,” he says. “It’s not something for one second I don’t enjoy. As you can see from the weekend, there was obviously a pretty dramatic end to the game. We all enjoyed it.”

And what about that pass? “I’m just glad we scored,” Farrell says. “That was the satisfying bit. We had some opportunities towards the end of that game, some opportunities just before that counterattack. I was just glad we came away with the points.”

Perhaps it is better if Borthwick has the final word on the player. “When you work as hard as he does to improve, as desperate to improve as he is, and have the competitive desire he has, I think the sky is the limit.”