8 hours ago
5
Andy Farrell is understood to be on the verge of calling up his son Owen to join the British & Irish Lions squad in Australia as a replacement for Elliot Daly who is set to be ruled out of the tour with a broken forearm. Farrell Jr, consequently, is in line to feature on his fourth Lions expedition at the age of 33.
With 112 caps for England and six Lions Test appearances, there is no question about Farrell’s big game experience nor his relentless competitive edge. He has endured an injury-plagued Top 14 season at Racing 92, however, and has not played international rugby since the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
In January last year Farrell announced he was stepping away from Test rugby to “prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing” but his father suggested when the squad was announced that the door could yet re-open. Sure enough, the Guardian understands that Daly’s injury has now prompted a call-up for the Lions’ prodigal son.
From a practical perspective Farrell jnr offers an extra set of tactical eyes, the ability to operate at both 10 and 12 and plentiful goal-kicking expertise. His call-up is a calculated risk, even so, because of the jolt it will deliver to the squad’s other fly-halves at a critical stage of the tour.
It also raises the question of whether Farrell Sr is entirely happy with all aspects of the build-up to the Test series. The versatile Daly was one of only three players on the trip who toured New Zealand in 2017, the last time fans were allowed into the stadiums. The head coach believes the level of attention around the Test series will be on another level to anything the younger tour members have previously experienced.
With his Saracens teammate Maro Itoje leading the Lions, Farrell will certainly be warmly welcomed into the fold by his erstwhile England colleagues. On the flip side it may raise doubts over Finn Russell’s status as the senior fly-half and could be interpreted as a lack of faith in youthful alternatives such as Marcus Smith and Finn Smith should Russell ever be sidelined. The Scotland fly-half was replaced after 51 minutes against the Reds but Farrell Sr stressed there were no injury concerns.
Those who know Farrell best, though, have long since admired his influence in the dressing-room. “He turned into our head coach, he is that good,” the former Saracens and England captain Jamie George once told the Guardian. “With his voice, with his actions, in the week the way he prepares, he shows people how it is done. I can’t speak highly enough of him. He is the best player I have worked with in every facet of the game.”
England, however, opted not to take Farrell on tour to Argentina where George Ford is set to win his 100th Test cap this weekend. Ford was also in fine form during the latter stages of the domestic Premiership season but, for now, has been passed over once again by the Lions.
It remains to be seen exactly when Farrell would be be ready to feature in Australia. The touring team face the NSW Waratahs in Sydney this Saturday before meeting the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday and a combined AUNZ Invitational XV in Adelaide the following Saturday. The first Test against the Wallabies will take place in Brisbane on 19 July.
