Big-match temperament, dead-eyed goal-kicking and unflinching defence – but perhaps the most encompassing quality of Owen Farrell is his era-defining leadership of club and country.
Now 33, but as hungry as ever, Farrell is set to join a unique list after being called up to the squad for the Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2025.
This will be Farrell’s fourth Tour, something only achieved by four men before: five-time tourists Willie John McBride and Mike Gibson and four-time Lions Brian O’Driscoll and Alun Wyn Jones.
It puts him firmly in the pantheon of Lions greats and, while he joins a little more than two weeks ahead of the first Test against Australia, it would be foolhardy to bet against him working his way into the squad.
As the world has come to be reminded in analysing the legacy of all-time sporting great Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls legend’s driving of teammates, setting of standards and professionalism were key qualities that led to success – in that way Farrell is rugby’s Jordan.
AN INSTANT STAR
The son of dual-code rugby legend and Lions Head Coach Andy, Farrell junior has always appeared preternaturally gifted when it comes to the sport of rugby.
READ MORE: The Making of Andy Farrell
The youngest-ever professional rugby player in English rugby union when he made his debut shortly after his 17th birthday for Saracens – Farrell stepped onto that field against Scarlets in the then Anglo-Welsh Cup and began barking orders. He has hardly stopped since.
That record stood for just a year, when his old friend and fellow fly-half, George Ford played his first game for Leicester Tigers aged 16.
It did not take Farrell long to settle into Premiership Rugby and, still only 19, he played a pivotal role in Saracens’ first title win in 2011.
Stuart Lancaster saw fit to throw him into the starting XV, first at inside centre and subsequently at fly-half for a new-look England team. He kicked points with now customary precision in wins over both Italy and Scotland – his trademark.
“I enjoy getting stuck in,” he told Rugby World after his first season as an international.
“Perhaps one day I will feel the need to step back, but I just want to do the same work as everyone else is doing, and they are all putting their bodies on the line. There are no individuals.”
LIONS COME CALLING
That work ethic, team spirit and determination – underpinned by immense talent – has kept Farrell at the very top of the game for more than 15 years.
His first taste of Lions rugby came in 2013, when he was selected by Warren Gatland.
“I think it’s funny that one of the youngest guys on the team, Owen Farrell, is the one that’s driving everyone on,” remarked Ireland great Paul O’Connell on the 2013 Tour of Australia.
“The guy is 22 years of age, barking at everyone, driving everyone around the pitch. We should all be doing it.”
Farrell created history alongside assistant coach Andy as the first father-and-son duo to go on the same Lions Tour. Twelve years on, and they’re here again.
The then 21-year-old was an unused replacement behind Johnny Sexton in the first and second Tests against the Wallabies before coming off the bench in the decisive third Test win.
Four years later, after two Six Nations titles – including a Grand Slam – Farrell was at the peak of his considerable powers.
He was selected for the Lions Tour to New Zealand and started at fly-half in the 30-15 first Test defeat, before moving to inside centre for the remaining two Tests.
Forming a potent 10-12 axis alongside Sexton, part of the coaching staff this time around, Farrell maintained kicking duties and nailed a late penalty to secure a 24-21 triumph in Wellington to level the series.
He then repeated the trick with a 77th-minute three-pointer in the decisive third Test at Eden Park to seal a 15-15 draw as the Lions left New Zealand with only their second ever tied series.
“If Owen Farrell were Irish, he’d be considered the greatest player that we’ve had. An amazing competitor,” Sexton said.
“He’s one of the best team-mates I’ve ever had. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with.”
CAPTAIN. LEADER. LEGEND
Farrell went on to captain England in South Africa in 2018, before taking sole ownership for the 2019 Guinness Six Nations and on to the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Farrell’s England were so close but so far in the Far East, the 19-7 domination of New Zealand in the semi-final one of the country’s greatest ever performances – the Springboks were a bridge too far in the final.
While they were denied by South Africa, Farrell bounced back as he lifted his third Six Nations title a year later, while also nailing the winning penalty in the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup against France.
In 2021, he guided Saracens back to the Premiership following their relegation and also went on his third Lions tour, where he played in the first and second Tests.
Another Premiership title followed in 2023, before he again led England in a World Cup and again saw them beaten by South Africa – this time by just a single point in the semi-finals.
After an 11-year international career, Farrell chose to step back from the limelight and “prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing” and left for France last summer, with wife Georgie and sons Tommy and Freddie.
But after a frustrating campaign, he re-joined Saracens last month – refreshed and ready for more.
Now, he is back on the biggest stage of all.
"He's the right man at this moment in time for us," said Andy.
"We felt we were a little bit vulnerable in and around 12 and obviously he can play 10 as well.
"Experience isn't just the playing side, it's how you make the group feel - the little chats that you have around the place to make sure that everything's gelled together - obviously Owen would bring a lot of that into the group.”
