Owen Farrell might have returned from the British & Irish Lions tour and concluded that being part of a Test series victory in Australia was the perfect way to end his international career; certainly a more joyful send-off than the 2023 World Cup. But the 34-year-old has kept the door open for a possible return to England colours.
Farrell stepped back from England duty after the World Cup in France, having found the scrutiny and criticism damaging to his mental health and the well-being of his family. He had dealt with the brickbats all his life, but at that tournament it became too overwhelming. Farrell signed for Racing 92, needing time to decompress and fall back in love with rugby.
Farrell’s decision to rejoin Saracens in the summer was followed by a late call-up to the Lions tour and a return to the biggest stage. Mark McCall, the Saracens director of rugby, told The Times last week that Farrell looked “to the manner born” back in the Test arena. “You could see that playing at that level was something that fulfilled him and stimulated him,” McCall said.
Which leads us to the England question. It is not a priority for Farrell at this stage. He was not included in Steve Borthwick’s first 36-man training camp this season and he did not receive one of the RFU’s England contracts. Farrell maintains that his priority is to reintegrate at Saracens and play well.
Farrell is no stranger to giving blood for the cause and was at it again for Saracens against Newcastle last week
CHRIS LISHMAN/MI NEWS/ALAMY LIVE NEWS
Through all of this, Farrell has chosen his words carefully. It would not be in his nature to make a statement and declare himself available for England in case that implied a sense of entitlement or disrespect to the incumbent players. He wants to ensure any future call-up is earned on the field.
If it is, it may well come at inside centre. Farrell has bulked up a bit in order to fill the No12 jersey for Saracens, as he did for the Lions. England’s fly-half stocks are strong, with George Ford and Fin Smith vying for the No10 jersey and Marcus Smith a versatile back-up option.
The inside-centre options are less experienced. Fraser Dingwall played well in the Six Nations and Seb Atkinson had a good tour to Argentina. Farrell has slotted back into the Saracens team at inside centre, with Fergus Burke continuing at fly half.
“I’m still in the same place. I want to make sure I’m loving what I’m doing here,” Farrell said before his return to the StoneX Stadium on Saturday, when Saracens host Bristol Bears.
Farrell spent an injury-affected season at Racing 92
EMILIAN BALDOW/ICON SPORT VIA GETTY IMAGES
“I am wary of talking about it because you have to play well. I am determined to make the most out of my time here and see where it takes me.”
Farrell played in the Lions’ second Test victory over Australia at the MCG and counts it as one of the most special occasions of his career, not only because it sealed the series, but because there were times last year when he could not have seen himself back on the Test stage.
“I loved the Lions. It was special. Lions tours are unique. As much as we possibly could, the lads got a lot of things right,” Farrell said.
“I slotted into a lot of work that had already been put in. I just came and tried to fit into that. It couldn’t have been easier for me. I loved it.
“The MCG was great. Messing about playing cricket the day before. I don’t think that happens too much. It is an iconic stadium and to win a game like we did and in that fashion was pretty special. It was a pretty cool moment, carrying our chairs into the middle of the pitch after the game to have a beer.”
Farrell watched every Saracens game while he was in Paris. “You can’t be here for that long and just cut off from it,” he said. “It was just me watching the club I had been at since I was a kid. I have a load of mates here.”
Saracens are in the early stages of a squad rebuild. Noah Caluori, the 19-year-old wing, made an eye-catching debut as Saracens opened their season with a win at Newcastle Red Bulls. “You should be sitting here instead of me,” he joked as Caluori walked past our interview at the training ground in St Albans, on his way to a question-and-answer session with Andy Reid, a coach at Nottingham Forest.
Farrell is happy to leave the big picture stuff to McCall. His focus is on the here and now. “The players are hungry,” he said. “The young lads are chomping at the bit to play now. They are not waiting for it to fall in their lap. It’s about trying to get the best out of ourselves now because that will put us in good stead for the future.”
Saracens took the train home from Newcastle last Saturday morning. Farrell, nursing a bloody nose, spent most of the weekend resting up on the sofa, watching the Ryder Cup. He had played a round with Luke Donald, the Europe captain, on the pro-am day at the BMW PGA Championship.
Donald had picked his brains about hostile crowds and history.
“We talked about stuff to do with building a team,” Farrell said. “He asked a few questions around what I had seen over the years around bringing a team together and creating identity. It wasn’t a long chat. I was trying to get advice on how not to shank a ball, to be honest.
“I watched it at the weekend. I was emotionally drained by the end. It always seemed inevitable but momentum can swing big time.”
Saracens v Bristol Bears
Gallagher Prem, StoneX Stadium
Saturday, 5.30pm
TV TNT Sports 1