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'Maybe we're a bit similar... I have got a lot of respect for him'
Owen Farrell can’t wait to get stuck into his all important play-making battle next Saturday against Johnny Sexton.
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The two out-halves, so instrumental in guiding the Lions to their 2017 Test series draw in New Zealand, have become a meaty sub-plot in recent years whiner England have taken on Ireland in the Six Nations.
Now they are set to renew rivalry on the grandest club stage of the all, the Heineken Champions Cup final which will feature Farrell’s Saracens against Sexton’s Leinster in Newcastle.
Rest assured they will become the best of enemies once Jerome Garces blows his whistle to get the eagerly awaited final underway. However, the build-up has allowed an opportunity for Farrell to outline the similar characteristics he shares with Sexton, attributes such as leadership and a ferocious will to win.
“Maybe we’re a bit similar,” admitted Farrell in a BT Sport interview ahead of the decider where they outcome will either be Saracens winning a third title in four seasons or Leinster winning their second in succession.
? The heartbeats, the conductors, the play-makers, the game-breakers ?
Two of the world's best 10's ? with ice running through their veins, @JohnnySexton and @owen_faz come face-to-face?
Glory for @leinsterrugby's talisman? ?
Or another trophy for the @Saracens star? ? pic.twitter.com/syQqnJ1Ts2
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 8, 2019
“You’d have to ask someone else. He’s intelligent in the way that he sees the game. I think he’s very clear in what he’s doing and he’s very good at executing on the back of it. He’s obviously competitive.
“He demands a lot out of the players around him and himself. You can definitely tell that when you play against him. I get on well with him. He’s obviously a brilliant player, as he’s shown for the past however many years. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
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Saturday’s showpiece is a rematch of last season’s quarter-final in Dublin where Leinster dethroned Saracens and went on to take their title. That was the London club’s last defeat in Europe and Farrell believes that pain has been an influence in getting them two steps further along the line this season and into a final.
There was a post-training treat waiting for the lads yesterday… ? pic.twitter.com/gPi3urGxDR
— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) May 8, 2019
“Defeats make you more open to having a proper look at yourself,” he explained. “As a team that defeat helped us for the rest of the year in many ways. It tightened us up. It made us focus in on things. It made us debate where we were at and where we want to go. You subconsciously become miles more open to looking deeper into what you’re doing and seeing what you can do to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
“It was good for us last year but it’s not something we’re caught up on now it’s not something we’re talking about. From that point on we were a lot clearer, certainly a lot more excited about where we’re heading.
“I guess it [a possible third European title] just adds to the history of what we’re trying to do now. When you look at all these big clubs and all those stars by their name you look at it in admiration and think ‘what a club’.
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Leinster have played some beautiful rugby en route to this weekend's Champions Cup final ?pic.twitter.com/jzJFU88Ibs
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) May 8, 2019
“We’ve done pretty well over the past few years but we’re still pretty new to it so we want to keep it going and not take it for granted that we’ve been in a few finals. We want to make sure we make the most out of each opportunity we get and we’ve put ourselves in a good position this year.”
Brad Barritt’s fitness will determine whether Farrell will be skipper for the final. “Since a kid I’ve always been put into those sort of roles. I’ve always been the loudest. I guess that’s why I was always put forward as captain when I was younger. You can’t shut me up when I’m out there.
“Obviously I’m still trying to get better at the leadership side of things. Brad [Barritt] does a brilliant job and we’re getting better and better at being aligned, being on a similar page so we can lead together.
“That’s what you want in most environments… not just one person, you want to have as many people as possible leading. I don’t think there’s anyone here that thinks so much of them self that they think they’re right all the time.
“To have a debate and disagree about what’s happening is good for clarity and getting on the same page. It’s good for questioning yourself, as well, which hopefully leads to a better outcome.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments