Owen Farrell has followed in his father Andy’s footsteps as a player in captaining his country and I can see him doing so again when he retires and becoming an international coach.
He is effectively a player/coach now for England on the field with the tactical and emotional lead he gives the side but he is also instrumental in steering training and their mindset during the week.
He is a strong character, a winner, who demands a lot from his team-mates.
As goalkicker, playmaker and a captain who will not take a step backwards he reminds me so much of Andy from our Wigan days.
Owen would always be around as a little boy taking it all in and he has taken the lessons he learned then from his dad and made himself into an almost exact replica.
For them to be in direct opposition tomorrow at Twickenham for the first time as head coach versus captain is a strange and fascinating dynamic.
It is a Six Nations weekend of intriguing sub-plots what with Shaun Edwards going back to Wales with France today as well. There is no bloodline involved for Shaun but it will still be odd for him.
It is not as if Joseph is some lumpy midfielder being shifted out to the wing, he is a proper athlete with pace and footwork who has scored some fine tries wide out for England.
Ireland’s half-backs are going to pepper Joseph with some high balls but if the back three can ride out the inevitable storm I still think England have a strong enough line-up to win by five points.
I fancy Wales to make home advantage pay against the French – by seven – and the Scots to squeeze out Italy by three in what could be the most entertaining game of an enthralling weekend.