Owen Andrew Farrell (born 24 September 1991) is an English professional
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
player, currently captain of
Gallagher Premiership side
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
. Farrell has played international rugby for England since 2012. Farrell is one of the
top points scorers in test history, having scored over 1000 points from over 100 tests.
His father is
Andy Farrell, who played both
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
and
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
for England and is the current head coach of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. His preferred position is
fly-half
In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...
, but he often plays at
inside centre
In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...
for England during international matches.
Farrell celebrates every point he scores by linking his
index finger
The index finger (also referred to as forefinger, first finger, second finger, pointer finger, trigger finger, digitus secundus, digitus II, and many other terms) is the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the thumb and the mid ...
s together to make a 'JJ' sign, the Joining Jack salute, Joining Jack being a charity dedicated to the needs of sufferers of
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy that primarily affects boys. Muscle weakness usually begins around the age of four, and worsens quickly. Muscle loss typically occurs first in the thighs and pelvis follow ...
. Farrell is also a patron of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy charity Duchenne UK.
Early life
Owen Andrew Farrell was born on 24 September 1991 in
Billinge Higher End
Higher End or Billinge Higher End is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.
Governance
Billinge was a civil parish lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire on 2 February 1837 it was divide ...
,
Wigan, England
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
. He began playing
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
in his hometown at the age of eight for
Wigan St Patricks
Wigan St. Patricks is an amateur rugby league football club based in the Scholes area of Wigan, Greater Manchester. The first team plays in the National Conference League Division One .
In 1986, the club was one of ten founder members of the BA ...
. When his father
Andy
Andy may refer to:
People
* Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds
* Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...
signed for
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
in 2005, his family moved to
Harpenden in
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, where Owen at the age of 13 or 14 was introduced to
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
for the first time.
He has two younger sisters, Elleshia and Gracie and one younger brother, Gabriel.
Personal life
He married his longtime girlfriend Georgie in July 2018. They have two sons, Tommy, who was born in March 2019, and Freddie, who was born in March 2021.
Club career
Farrell held the record of youngest player ever to appear in English professional
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
after playing for
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
11 days after his 17th birthday, in a 26–17 home defeat against
Llanelli Scarlets
The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...
in the
EDF Energy Cup
The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...
on 5 October 2008, until this record was broken in November 2009 by
George Ford of
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...
.
In the 2010–11 season, Farrell signed for Bedford Blues on loan. However, he returned to Saracens and was pivotal in the
2010–11 Aviva Premiership Final, kicking five penalties and converting
James Short's try, ending with a personal haul of 17 points in the 22–18 victory over reigning champions Leicester Tigers.
The 2013–14 season was a strong season for Farrell and Saracens, with the London Club reaching the Heineken Cup against Toulon, but they missed out on the title after losing the match 23–6, and there was more disappointment for Farrell and Saracens after being defeated 24–20 in the Aviva Premiership Final against Northampton at Twickenham. Although Farrell did struggle with injury in the 2013–14 season after being knocked out unconscious in Saracens's 49–10 win over Leicester Tigers after colliding with opponent Niki Goneva, resulting in Farrell being carried off on a stretcher in a neck brace.
In the 2014–15 season, Farrell won the
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
award in the Premiership Final, scoring a try and kicking a further 13 points. Saracens went on to win the final 28–16.
The following season, Farrell won the Fans' Player of the Season for Saracens, and kicked all 21 points against Racing 92 in the
2016 European Rugby Champions Cup Final, which Saracens won. He subsequently was awarded the Top Points Scorer award with 129 points scored in the tournament. That season Farrell kicked 13 points again as Saracens also retained the Premiership title with a 28-20 victory over Exeter.
In 2017, Farrell overtook
Glen Jackson as the Saracens' all-time leading points scorer, having scored 1548 points in his career so far. In May 2017, Owen helped Saracens to a second successive European Champions Cup, scoring two conversions and three penalties in the final, and was named European Player of the Year.
In 2018 Farrell won his fourth Premiership title after a 27-10 victory over Exeter, in which he converted two tries.
In 2019, Farrell won the
European Champions Cup for a third time, scoring 10 points in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
against
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
at
St James' Park
St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England.
St James' Pa ...
in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
. He also won the Premiership for a fifth time, scoring three conversions and two penalties as Saracens again overcame Exeter.
On September 5, 2020, in a Saracens loss to Wasps, he was sent off by referee
Christophe Ridley
Christophe Ridley (born 16 April 1993) is an English rugby referee.
Career
Previously a student at the University of Gloucestershire, Ridley began refereeing professionally in 2016. He has been a regular referee in Premiership Rugby and has al ...
for a high tackle on
Charlie Atkinson, for which he was banned 5 games. The suspension ensured he would be available for England’s entire autumn campaign, but the fly-half was ruled out Saracens’ Champions Cup quarter-final match against Leinster.
Farrell suffered an ankle injury which kept him out for the majority of the 2021-22 Gallagher Premiership season, however he did feature in the final against Leicester, which Saracens lost 15-12.
International career
England
Early career
He was given his first call-up to the England Elite Player Squad when
Stuart Lancaster selected him in his squad for the
2012 Six Nations Championship. Farrell was the youngest player in the squad.
He made his debut on 4 February 2012 against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, starting at inside centre next to his Saracens teammates
Brad Barritt
Bradley Barritt (born 7 August 1986) is a South African-born former rugby union player. He played the position of centre.
Early life
Barritt attended Kearsney College.
Career
Barritt's debut season was in 2006 for the and Sharks in the Curri ...
and
Charlie Hodgson. He kicked two penalties and a conversion, but also missed two tough penalties from around 50 metres. His next match, against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, saw him produce a faultless kicking display, kicking four penalties and a conversion. In the next match, against
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, Farrell played at fly-half for the first time in an England shirt after Charlie Hodgson sustained a finger injury in the week leading up to the Wales game. Once again his goal-kicking was impressive, missing just one kick out of five, but he was replaced by
Toby Flood
Tobias Gerald Albert Cecil Lieven Flood (born 8 August 1985) is an English rugby union coach and former player. He is currently kicking and skills coach at Newcastle Falcons in Premiership Rugby. During his playing career his position was Fly- ...
later in the game after appearing to injure his leg after a clearance kick. He then played against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. Farrell kicked well in the Ireland game, only missing one conversion. He finished the competition with 63 points from five games.
The
2012 summer tour of South Africa saw Farrell get selected again. He played all of the warm-up game against
the Barbarians and scored a respectable 17 points in a game that England won comfortably. Farrell again played all through the first match against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, where England lost 22–17 in a tight game. He kicked all four of his penalties but missed a conversion. He came on as a substitute in the second test; he scored no points and could not help England avoid defeat for a second time. Farrell had two spells on the pitch in the third test; he scored two penalties in a tight game that ended 14–14, twice attempting to score his first drop goal but missing each time. He ended the series with 18 points from three appearances.
Farrell played his first game in the autumn test series as a substitute and scored a conversion.
On 1 December 2012, he started in England's game against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and scored a total of 17 points in helping England to a record-breaking victory; it was their greatest-ever margin of victory over the All Blacks.
He was nominated for
IRB Player of the Year, but lost out to the New Zealand stand-off
Dan Carter
Daniel William Carter (born 5 March 1982) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player.
Carter played for Crusaders (Super Rugby) in New Zealand and played for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. He is the highest point scorer in ...
.
Farrell started in the
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the rugby match between England and Scotland played annually in the Six Nations Championship. Like the match itself (England–Scotland), the Calcutta Cup is the oldest trophy contested be ...
match against Scotland, only missing one kick in a near-faultless display. He set up one try and assisted England to a strong start in their Six Nations campaign. He was also nominated the RBS Six Nations man of the match for his performance.
After a break from English rugby due to the Lions tour, Farrell returned to England for the 2013 QBE autumn internationals. He played the full 80 minutes of the match against the
Wallabies
A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and so ...
, kicking two penalties (but also missing three with one hitting the post), two conversions and scoring his debut England try, breaking through a gap in the Australian line of defence and touching down under the posts. His try proved to be the deciding score, as England went on to win 20–13.
2015–2016
Farrell was ruled out of the entire 2015 Six Nations competition with a serious knee injury.
However, after recovering from his injury Farrell was picked to train in the England camp ahead of the England 2015 World Cup. He went on to start in England's first World Cup warm-up match on 15 August, against France, scoring two out of three conversions and consequently helping England win the game 19–14. Farrell was picked by Lancaster as one of two fly-halves in the 31-man World Cup squad.
Farrell came on as a replacement for
George Ford in the opening match of the world cup against
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, a 35–11 win where Farrell did not miss any kicks. Farrell played for the full 80 minutes in England's second 2015 World Cup match, a 25–28 loss to Wales, scoring 20 points after failing to miss any kicks for the second straight match. He subsequently kept his place to face Australia the following weekend, on 2 October 2015, which England went on to lose 13–33 after Farrell was sin-binned in the 70th minute. This was the first time that England failed to make the playoffs of a Rugby World Cup, having lost to both Wales and Australia now. Farrell started at inside centre in England's final pool match, a 60–3 win over Uruguay. Farrell was subbed off for
Jonathan Joseph in the 59th minute after missing two of his six kicks.
In January 2016, after his fine displays for Saracens, Farrell was selected in the first squad of new England head coach
Eddie Jones. With injuries to
Henry Slade
Henry Slade (1835–1905) was a famous fraudulent medium who lived and practiced in both Europe and North America.
Biography
Slade was most well known as a slate-writing medium. During his séances he would place a small slate with a piece ...
and
Manu Tuilagi
Etuale Manusamoa Tuilagi (born 18 May 1991), known as Manu Tuilagi, is a rugby union player for Sale Sharks. He has played internationally for and the British & Irish Lions.
Born in Fogapoa, Samoa, Tuilagi has five elder brothers who played fo ...
leaving few choices at inside centre, Farrell was selected at 12 in Jones' first two matches, away to Scotland and Italy respectively.
George Ford became a regular starter at 10 in Farrell's place. He was selected as one of England's vice-captains for the Six Nations, along with
Mike Brown and
Billy Vunipola
Billy Vunipola (born 3 November 1992) is a professional rugby union player who plays at Number 8 for Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership and for the England national team. Born in Australia to Tongan parents, he qualified for England throu ...
, under
Dylan Hartley
Dylan Hartley (born 24 March 1986) is a former England Rugby captain who represented England and Northampton Saints. Hartley was the captain of England from January 2016 until the end of his international career in 2019. He is England's most ca ...
's captaincy. In the first two matches, Farrell contributed 22 points including a try against Italy, and assumed the captaincy when Hartley was substituted late on.
Farrell went on to start at inside centre in all five of England's games during the Six Nations tournament, winning his first major international trophy as part of England's Grand Slam-winning side. Farrell finished the tournament as the leading scorer with 69 points, bringing his personal tally for England to 412 and making him the second-highest points scorer in the history of the England national team, with only
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 25 May 1979) is an English former rugby union player. A Fly-half (rugby union), fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and RC Toulonnais, Toulon and represente ...
having scored more.
In the summer of 2016, England embarked on a three-match series in Australia. Farrell was initially picked to start at fly-half for the first test, however, he was soon reverted to inside centre with Ford assuming the No.10 shirt. England would go on to win the series 3–0, with Farrell playing a pivotal role, being named man of the match in the third test and scoring 66 points on tour.
Owen was nominated for the six-man shortlist for the 2016 World Player of the Year Award for the second time in his career, alongside his Saracens teammates Billy Vunipola and
Maro Itoje
Oghenemaro Miles "Maro" Itoje (born 28 October 1994) is an English professional rugby union player, who plays as a lock or as a blindside flanker for Gallagher Premiership club Saracens and the England national team. He signed his first pro ...
.
2017–2018
Farrell played all 80 minutes every test in the 2017
Six Nations Championship and helped
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
retaining the Six Nations title despite missing out the Grand Slam after losing the final game to Ireland. The highlight of Farrell's 2017 Six Nations was on 11 March 2017 when he scored 26 points against Scotland in a 61–21 win for England.
Farrell had a huge workload in the
2018 Six Nations Championship and played in every minute of the competition. Farrell scored a try against Italy on 4 February 2018 and also set one up for first-five George Ford. Disappointingly however, Farrell only kicked 5/8 of his goals against Italy, which disallowed England from putting 50 points on Italy, leaving England to win 46–15. On 24 February, Farrell scored all of England's points against Scotland, including a try. This was not enough however, with Farrell's second try of the match disallowed. Scotland went on to upset England 25–13, with Farrell's game not doing enough to get England a win.
On 10 March 2018, Farrell captained England for the first time in his career when they faced France in
Stade de France in Paris. Farrell did not miss any kicks against France in the match and defended well, but England lost 22–16 due to giving away penalties to French scrum-half
Maxime Machenaud who managed to convert them into points. Farrell later admitted to media that England's lack of discipline cost them the test.
England went onto lose their final Six Nations match against Ireland, with Hartley back as captain. Farrell started the match at fly-half, with George Ford dropping to the bench, his first start in the ten jersey for England since June 2016.
2018–2019: Captaincy
After England captain
Dylan Hartley
Dylan Hartley (born 24 March 1986) is a former England Rugby captain who represented England and Northampton Saints. Hartley was the captain of England from January 2016 until the end of his international career in 2019. He is England's most ca ...
sustained another concussion in 2018 and was subsequently ruled out of England's three-test series against South Africa, Farrell was promoted to captain in Hartley's absence, leading England to a 2–1 series defeat. Although England rushed to a 24–3 lead early in the first test, with Farrell scoring a try, South Africa came back into the test eventually winning 42–39. England won the final test 25–10 for Farrell's first victory as England captain. Farrell returned to 12 for the series, with Ford back at 10 for the first two games, which England lost, before Danny Cipriani was installed at 10 for the final game.
During the autumn, Dylan Hartley again returned from injury, but Farrell was selected as co-captain. The pair led England to victories over South Africa (12-11) and Australia (37-20), and a defeat to New Zealand (16-15), while Farrell came off the bench during a 35–15 victory over Japan (George Ford captained this game). For the three matches he started, Farrell started at 10 again, with Ben Te’o preferred at 12 outside him.
Farrell was retained at 10 and as the sole England Captain during the 2019 6 Nations, with Hartley missing the whole tournament.
England started the tournament with a shock 32–20 victory against the Irish in Dublin, avenging the previous year's loss for their first away win against the Irish since 2013, and only their third ever during the 6 Nations era. It was also Ireland's first home defeat since New Zealand beat them in November 2016, and Ireland went into the match having lost only one of their last eighteen games. The game was cited as England's best under Eddie Jones, and was backed up with a 44–8 win over France at Twickenham, their largest win in over 90 years against the French, with Farrell picking up a try as well as 12 points from the boot.
Despite leading 10–3 at half time, in England's third match they came up short against Wales in Cardiff, losing 21–13 to the eventual 2019 Grand Slam winners.
Their final two matches saw a 57–14 victory over Italy before their final match against Scotland, both games at home. England scored 24 tries across the tournament, the most of any team since England scored 29 in 2001. Farrell contributed 59 points to this, finishing the 2019 tournaments top scorer. However, their final match against Scotland ended in a 38 all draw, with England leading 31–7 at the break before Scotland made a magnificent comeback to lead 38–31 by the 80th minute. Farrell was substituted with ten minutes left, and it was his replacement, George Ford, who proved the saviour for England to score after the clock had gone red to rescue the match for a draw. It was Scotland's first draw at Twickenham since 1989, and the first time they had retained the Calcutta Cup since 1984.
Farrell was selected as England's captain for 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, where England would face France, Argentina, Tonga and the United States in Pool C. He also started and captained two of England's four warm-up matches, starting at 12 against Ireland in a record 57–15 victory, and at 10 against Italy in England's first ever match at St James’ Park in Newcastle
England performed well at the 2019 World Cup, topping their pool with big wins over Argentina, Tonga and the USA (their match against France was cancelled due to a typhoon), and following this up with a record equalling win over Australia in the Quarter-Final. Farrell went on to lead England to victory over New Zealand in the semi final, winning 19–7. Farrell captained England against South Africa in the Final, South Africa upset the favourites for the game and won 32–12.
The Semi-Final win against New Zealand made Farrell just the fourth England Captain (after
John Pullin
John Vivian Pullin (1 November 1941 – 5 February 2021) was an England international rugby union player. A hooker, he played club rugby for Bristol Rugby and captained the England national rugby union team for which he played 42 times betwe ...
,
Will Carling
William David Charles Carling (born 12 December 1965) is an English former rugby union player. He was England's youngest captain, aged 22, and won 72 caps from 1988 to 1996, captaining England 59 times. Under his captaincy, England won Five ...
and
Martin Johnson) to lead and beat all of the “Big Three” Southern Hemisphere sides: , and . As captain, he has 3 wins against Australia, 1 against New Zealand, and 2 against South Africa.
2020–present
Following the World Cup, Farrell retained the England captaincy and led England to victory in the
2020 Six Nations and, following the
Covid-19 outbreak, that year’s
Autumn Nations Cup
The Autumn Nations Cup was a rugby union competition held in November and December 2020 in place of the usual Autumn internationals series typically held in the same period each year, as many teams were avoiding extended travel due to the COVID- ...
. Farrell finished Autumn Nations Cup as the Tournament’s top points scorer as he claimed his first two pieces of silverware as England Captain. Despite missing half of his kicks at goal in the Final, Farrell scored the match winning penalty deep into extra time. England finished the year with only a single defeat (their opening Six Nations match against France in Paris) from nine games.
Farrell and England made a poor start to their title defence in the
2021 Six Nations, with a first loss to Scotland at Twickenham in thirty-eight years in their opening game. Farrell and England had much improved performances against Italy and Wales, though the latter ended in defeat to end their title defence. Wales had two controversially awarded tries in the first half, but despite this England clawed their way back to make it 24-24, only to give away a succession of penalties, ultimately giving Wales a sixteen point victory. Farrell came under fire from some sections- but was defended in others- for his captaincy during this match, both in his handling of the referee and generally leadership, marring what was otherwise a solid performance from the England Skipper.
England went on to beat France at Twickenham in round four; France were aiming for a Grand Slam at the time but England won a late victory with a clinical display, a repeat of the Autumn Nations Cup final the previous year. Farrell contributed eleven tackles, nearly twice as many more than any other back, and had a faultless day from the boot to give England victory.
England lost their final match away to Ireland in Dublin, with Farrell going off with concussion during the second half.
A personal achievement for Farrell in the 2020-21 season was crossing the 1,000 international points in test rugby, becoming the second Englishman to reach the achievement, and at the time only the sixth overall.
On 19 November 2022, Farrell made his 100th Cap for England against The
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...
in the
2022 Autumn Nations Series, the game ended in a 25-25 draw with England coming back in the last 10 minutes. Farrell gave a 3-point contribution to the match.
British & Irish Lions
Farrell was selected as part of the
British & Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
squad for the
2013 tour to Australia. Farrell started for the Lions in Hong Kong on 1 June against the Barbarians, kicking three penalties and three conversions in a convincing 59–8 win for the Lions.
In his second game against
Western Force
The Western Force is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia, currently competing in Super Rugby Pacific. They previously played in Super Rugby from 2006 until they were axed from the competition in 2017. ...
, Farrell started on the bench, came on in the 66th minute and scored a try with his first touch, helping the Lions towards a 69–17 win. He gained his first Lions test cap, coming off the bench to replace
Johnny Sexton
Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, and he also captains both teams. He represented the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017 and has scored o ...
, in the 41–16 series decider.
In April 2017, Farrell was named again as part of the Lions squad for the
tour to New Zealand. He played a pivotal role in the series, starting in all three tests against the All Blacks. The first test, which was a 30–15 loss to the Lions had Farrell start at 10, while England teammate
Ben Te'o
Ben Te'o (born 27 January 1987) is a former profesional rugby union and rugby league footballer who last played as a er for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL.
He previously played for both the Wests Tigers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs with wh ...
starting at 12. Farrell moved to 12 for the next two tests, with Te'o dropping to the bench to accommodate Irish fly-half Sexton. With three minutes left of the second test of the series, the Lions were awarded a penalty due to a dangerous tackle by All Black prop
Charlie Faumuina
Charles Faumuina (born 24 December 1986) is a rugby union player who plays prop, for in Top 14 in France and formerly for internationally. He was a key member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team.
He currently plays international rugby ...
. Farrell managed to convert the penalty kick, allowing the Lions to defeat the All Blacks in the second test 24–21, breaking a number of records. Farrell did not miss a single penalty kick in the final match of the series, a 15–15 draw, which allowed the Lions to draw the series with the All Blacks. Farrell also scored the most points of any player who went on tour with the Lions in 2017, scoring 45 points (31 from tests).
Career statistics
Correct as of 26 July 2021:
* Includes matches for the British & Irish Lions
International tries
Honours
British & Irish Lions
* Test series won:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
* Test series drawn:
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
England
*
Six Nations Championship Champion:
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
,
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
*
Triple crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...
Champion: 2014, 2016, 2020
*
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the rugby match between England and Scotland played annually in the Six Nations Championship. Like the match itself (England–Scotland), the Calcutta Cup is the oldest trophy contested be ...
Champion: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020
* Summer Test Series Winner:
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, 2022
*
Autumn Nations Cup
The Autumn Nations Cup was a rugby union competition held in November and December 2020 in place of the usual Autumn internationals series typically held in the same period each year, as many teams were avoiding extended travel due to the COVID- ...
Champions: 2020
Saracens
*
Aviva Premiership
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...
Champion:
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
,
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
* Greene King IPA Championship - 2021
*
European Rugby Champions Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
Champion:
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
,
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
,
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
Individual
* European Player of the Year: 2017 and 2018
* Nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year in 2012, 2016 and 2017
References
External links
RFU profileSaracens profile*
Statbunker profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrell, Owen
1991 births
Living people
Bedford Blues players
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England
England international rugby union players
English people of Irish descent
English rugby union players
Farrell family
People educated at St George's School, Harpenden
Rugby union centres
Rugby union fly-halves
Rugby union players from Wigan
Saracens F.C. players
Wigan St Patricks players