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Owen Farrell is considering making himself available for England again despite the social media “poison” that contributed to him stepping back from Test rugby last year. Farrell, who has been picked as captain of the British & Irish Lions in their final midweek tour game, now says he would love to emulate Johnny Sexton and keep playing at the highest level for as long as possible.
Farrell, who will turn 34 in September, has not played for England since the 2023 World Cup but has loved his involvement on the current Lions tour of Australia and sounds more open to the idea, if selected, of rejoining the England fold than at any stage since announcing his intention to take a break from international rugby “to prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing.”
Several of Farrell’s Lions colleagues, having seen him slot seamlessly back into a leadership role since replacing the injured Elliot Daly this month, have asked the former England captain about his future plans and he freely admits to being inspired by the example of Sexton, who was still playing for Ireland at the age of 38.
“I’m determined to enjoy what I’m doing and love every minute of however long that I’ve got left,” said Farrell, who will start at 12 for the Lions against a First Nations & Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday. “I’m not old yet. Johnny played forever and I’m obviously a half-back as well. There’s loads left in us and I’m just determined to enjoy it. I’ve come back to make the most of what I am doing. We’ll see what happens.”
Farrell, sounding as upbeat in public as he has done in many years, has now returned to Saracens after an ill-starred and injury-hit spell at Racing 92 and is clearly relishing his fourth Lions tour since being called up by his father, Andy. His selection prompted a significant reaction on social media, however, and Farrell Jr admits he has not always found the attention easy to cope with.
“There’s times where people can say this, that and the other and it just goes over your head. And there’s times where you’re not in the best place of all time and you’re almost waiting for something to set you off.
“I understand that it’s different now. I understand that times are different … sometimes [social media] catches fire and just takes a life of its own. It goes wherever it goes and there’s momentum behind it. But I don’t always understand it, no. If you go and knock on someone’s door and ask them their opinion of how you played at the weekend, you wouldn’t really listen to their answer. Both [good and bad reactions on social media] are a poison. That’s not to say it’s all bad but the things that should matter to me and to us as players are the people that matter to us.
“The people I think we should listen to are proper rugby people. Your mates … they’ll give you a real answer. If you’re in a good place yourself then you can deal with it. There’s obviously a lot of external factors that can creep in but ultimately it’s up to me how I am. Making sure I’m looking after myself, making sure I’m giving myself a break at times. I’m not someone who needs revving up too much. It’s normally the other way, of coming back down and relaxing. So having some perspective and making sure I look after myself in that way will, I think, lead to me being more myself.”
If Farrell does return to the England fold it will further increase the options available to the head coach, Steve Borthwick. Fly-halves Fin Smith and Marcus Smith are both on tour alongside Farrell in Australia while George Ford has just reached 100 caps while steering his country to victories against Argentina and the United States.
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For now, though, Farrell is more intent on serving the Lions than fixating on his own prospects of featuring in the last two Tests. “I think the most important thing is that I come here, be myself and then see where that goes,” said Farrell, chosen as midweek captain by his father ahead of the Wales captain Jac Morgan and England’s Jamie George. “And I mean that genuinely. I’m not saying that but don’t mean it. We’ll see what happens.”
The Lions are also collectively keen to extend their winning momentum ahead of Saturday’s second Test against the Wallabies following their 27-19 victory in Brisbane. “Obviously there is going to be a reaction from the weekend,” said Farrell. “We need to be ready for that and more.”
Those who know Farrell best of all, however, are convinced the Lions have a “Test match animal” at their disposal if needed. “The better we train as a non-23 team, the better prepared the Test team are going to be and he has driven that massively,” said George, delighted to be back in the same dressing room as his Saracens teammate. “He’s unbelievably impressive. You don’t play with him for a year and it still takes your breath away.”
