England fullback Mike Brown has hailed captain Owen Farrell ahead of their opening Test against the Springboks in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Farrell has taken over the leadership role for the three-Test series but could potentially continue beyond that as regular captain Dylan Hartley’s concussion problems persist.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Brown said that he appreciates the way Farrell has been able to carve out his own leadership style.

‘Owen is a great leader,’ Brown said. ‘He energises the group through the way he trains and the way he drags people along with him, his physicality and his standards.

‘I love his aggression and his physicality. I can feed off someone like that. He never takes a backward step and always leads from the front. That’s the sign of a great leader.

‘Owen has just carried on what Dylan did off the field. He’s carried those standards on, which has been so important in where we have got to. Owen has carried that on but brought his own style to it. They are both great leaders in my eyes. It’s great to play under both of them.’

Photo: Ashley Western/Getty Images