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'They're trying to sway them' - Owen Farrell admits family loyalties still in play
England captain Owen Farrell admits his mother Colleen is stuck in an unenviable position as he attempts to deny father Andy Grand Slam glory with Ireland.
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The personal circumstances of the Farrell family is a major subplot going into Saturday’s sold-out Dublin showdown, with the hosts odds-on favourites to complete a Guinness Six Nations clean sweep.
Fly-half Farrell is out to spoil the St Patrick’s weekend party at the Aviva Stadium after being recalled by Steve Borthwick, having begun last weekend’s 53-10 thrashing by France on the bench.
The 31-year-old insists it will be business as usual for him and his dad but concedes it is a tricky situation for relatives caught in the middle.
“It’s not weird for us two,” he said. “It’s probably a bit more weird for the family that’s supporting, especially my mum.
“She says she doesn’t know what she wants to happen. It’s probably a bit tough for her – well, I know it is.
“But in terms of us, we’re just doing our job. He’s not out there on the field, it’s not direct competition.
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“We’ve been doing it for a long time now. It’s not the first time we’ve done it.”
Owen’s sons Tommy and Freddie are staying at his parents’ house in the Dublin suburb of Sandymount.
Ireland head coach Andy, who is not currently at home due to preparing his team for the mouthwatering championship finale, joked on Thursday that he would attempt to convert his grandsons into home fans and have them wearing green jerseys.
Both boys own England and Ireland shirts but Owen expects them to be sporting the former this weekend.
“They’re a bit young yet (to decide where their allegiances lie),” he said.
“They’re just doing as their grandad’s told them to, they’re staying at their grandad’s house so I guess it’s his rules this weekend so far.
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Divided loyalties in the Farrell household with news that Owen's son has been sporting an Ireland jersey ? #Rugby #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/JmnrDvhwJX
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 31, 2023
“I assumed – and I do still assume – that they will be wearing England jerseys but I see they’re trying to sway them.”
Rivalries aside, the Saracens player has been majorly impressed by what his father has achieved on the other side of the Irish Sea.
“Ireland are going really well at the minute, going for a Grand Slam which is a massive occasion for them,” he said.
“They’re flying at the minute.
“They’re not number one in the world for nothing and there’s definitely a lot of pride in our family for the job that he’s doing.”
Farrell junior believes he has ironed out the kicking issues he endured ahead of being dropped for the record-breaking humiliation at the hands of the French.
He insists England are far better than that unacceptable showing and have conducted a thorough inquest.
“Obviously we’re hurting a bit from last week,” he said.
“We’re looking to take a step forward, we’re going to play the best we can and we’re looking forward to it.
“It’s two good teams going at it. Off the back of last week, everybody – especially from the outside – is very down about where we’re at at the minute.
“We’ve no doubt we’re better than that and we’re looking forward to the game.
“That wasn’t good enough, it never is in an England shirt.
“We’ve been looking at it closely, probably closer than everybody else, and we’re looking at what we can do better and trying to get that out on the field tomorrow.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Super 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?
8 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.
8 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 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 commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
8 Go to comments