Owen Farrell is certain to be selected for England’s tour of South Africa, according to his Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall, who believes his player would make an “ideal” captain in the injury-enforced absence of Dylan Hartley.

McCall is also optimistic that Billy Vunipola, the England No 8, will travel to South Africa, although he may be forced to wait another week to make his eagerly-anticipated return for Saracens following an arm injury that has sidelined him since January.

Hartley, who has been England captain during the two-year tenure of Eddie Jones, was ruled out of the tour on Monday after Northampton confirmed the hooker would not play again this season as he recovers from a concussion injury.

Jones had indicated at the end of the Six Nations that he was considering resting some of England’s Lions players for the tour in order to give them a chance to recover from the exacting demands of the past 12 months.

However, McCall said he expected both Farrell and Hartley’s deputy, Jamie George, the Lions hooker, to travel as part of the squad for the three-Test tour of South Africa, which Jones will name next month.

McCall believes that Farrell, who captained England in the Six Nations defeat by France in Paris when Hartley was ruled out with a calf injury, is the right man to lead the tour.