OWEN FARRELL will lead England into tomorrow’s clash with France after Dylan Hartley was ruled out of the Six Nations showdown in Paris by a tight calf.

Farrell, the team’s inside centre and goalkicker, starts as captain for the first time after Hartley conceded defeat in his battle with the injury sustained in training at the start of the week.

Hartley has been an ever-present under Eddie Jones, starting all but one of his 26 Tests in charge and always acting as skipper, and his absence at the Stade de France is part of the most radical team selection of the Australian’s reign.