Watch - Owen Farrell throws 'unreal' pass against Exeter
Owen Farrell was acclaimed as a once in a generation player after masterminding Saracens’ 35-3 Gallagher Premiership rout of Exeter at StoneX Stadium.
Farrell excelled in wretched conditions, with the highlight of his man of the match display an audacious no-look, reverse, miss pass that sent Alex Lewington over for the bonus point.
It comes as new England head coach Steve Borthwick considers his options at fly-half ahead of the Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 4, with Marcus Smith also competing for the role of chief conductor.
“Trying to lead a team in those conditions is tough. It is where you see the ultimate game managers and leaders and Owen is still at the very forefront of that,” Saracens head coach Joe Shaw said.
“When you look at the whole of this season and you see some of the performances we have put in and the tries we have scored, the person who has been at the centre of that is Owen, showing off his skillset.
“His kicks into space put Exeter under pressure and he backed it up with how physical he was in defence. I thought he was superb.
“If you know anything about rugby you realise what an unbelievable and special talent we have had for this generation.
“He has just turned 31, he has got 100 caps for England, been on three Lions tours, won everything domestically and captained his country. He is absolutely fantastic.”
When asked about his magical pass in the last 10 minutes, Shaw said: “Owen has got that in his skillset.
“He would have known Alex Lewington was out there and when you practice and practice….people think it’s luck but it’s not.”
'If you know anything about rugby you realise what an unbelievable and special talent we have had for this generation.' ?pic.twitter.com/LaUuJZAqGs
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 31, 2022
Exeter remain in sixth place and head coach Ali Hepher admits his team must stitch together some wins at Sandy Park in the coming weeks if they are to be in title contention.
The Chiefs fielded a side weakened by injury and a bug that has swept through the club, but Hepher remained upbeat over what the future holds.
“We’ve been here against Saracens in the past, lost heavily but also learned the lessons and come back stronger,” he said.
“You have to give Saracens credit for their performance – the speed that they played at, the speed that they countered at.
“Even when they make errors they don’t get seen because they’re doing things so fast. They were too fast for us.
“We are where we are – a mid-table side. We have a run of home games now that are very important. We’ll target those games and try to put our stamp on the season.
“What makes or breaks our season won’t be what we’ve done here but what we do over the next four or five matches.
“We’re clearly on a rebuild. We’ve lost players because we haven’t been able to retain them within the salary cap.
“We have to reboot and regenerate. We’re below where we were but we’re on the move back to that spot. It won’t happen overnight but it’s exciting.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
37 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
37 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
37 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
37 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
37 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
37 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
37 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments