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Saracens' upbeat 'within Eddie's gift' update on Owen Farrell
Saracens boss Mark McCall has confirmed Owen Farrell is poised for an ahead-of-schedule return to action with the London club in advance of the start of the 2022 Six Nations championship with England. There were fears in November that surgery on the ankle injured versus Australia would see the England skipper miss the tournament opener away to Scotland on February 5.
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However, club boss McCall has now reported that Farrell is primed for a return with Saracens on January 23 against London Irish in the European Challenge Cup, 13 days before England are due to play their round one match at Murrayfield versus the Scots.
That Saracens match against the Irish would give Farrell at least one club outing prior to assembling for England camp, but McCall hasn’t ruled out the prospect of his skipper being released back to the club for their January 30 Gallagher Premiership match at Wasps to further steel Farrell for the rigours of Test match rugby in February and March.
“Yeah, he is (ahead of schedule),” confirmed McCall about Farrell’s rehabilitation from his November injury. “He has been running on the field this week which has been good. The plan is to try and get him fit for the London Irish game on January 23, which is a little bit dependent on if that game goes ahead. Fingers crossed that it does but the plan is for him to be available for that match.”
Farrell was the recipient of much criticism during last year’s Six Nations after he arrived into the tournament undercooked due to Saracens having a no-game winter due to the late start to their Championship season. His current stint on the sidelines has ignited fears that his form might similarly not be up to scratch for England, but McCall insisted the circumstances were different this time around and he expressed every confidence in his player to prosper.
With England set for a very busy 2022, Paul Smith ??? runs the rule over 15 players who will be looking to force their way back into Eddie Jones' selection picture in the weeks and months ahead…https://t.co/BmWsOgQm0i
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 5, 2022
“I know there was a lot made of it before the last Six Nations but that was a little bit different because he didn’t get to play any club rugby before the autumn internationals and between the autumn internationals and the Six Nations. This is a little bit different. He has been playing this season,” outlined McCall as his Saracens media briefing ahead of this weekend’s game at home to Gloucester.
“Historically he has been really good at coming back from injury. I remember he was out for several months and then the first six weeks of the season for us with a back injury and we played Toulon away in the first round of the Champions Cup. Alex Lozowski had been playing fly-half for us but Owen went straight into the team and was outstanding that day so he has got an ability to hit the ground running.
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“He is a naturally incredibly fit guy. He has been working over the last three or four weeks with Joe Shaw on skill work and that kind of thing so nothing has changed there really. We’re looking at the London Irish game.
“Eddie (Jones) has always got the option of letting him play the week after for us against Wasps, that would be within Eddie’s gift to do that and would be very welcome if that is what he decides to do. There is a game if Eddie decided Owen needed more game time after that first game.”
England are expected to name their Six Nations squad on January 17 and the chosen players would be off-limits to the clubs following the European fixtures on the weekend of January 21-23. “Anyone who is picked for the squad will not be available after the 23rd,” explained McCall.
“England have a camp and we play Wasps on January 30 but the players won’t be available for that game. It’s hard to say exactly who is going to be involved (with England) at the moment but I guess we were surprised by the selection for the autumn and we will wait to hear on Monday week.”
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Assessing the recall chances of the out-of-favour Vunipola brothers, who recently agreed to contract extensions at Saracens, McCall added: “They have shown good form over the three months they weren’t selected for the autumn. Eddie wanted to get a reaction from them. He definitely got that.
“They are both playing well, are both fit and they have committed to staying in England for the next period of time which shows everyone they want to go to the World Cup as well. The rest [England selection] is not up to them in other ways.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments