5 Things to Know About Lions call-up Owen Farrell, including his original name

Here are five things you should know about the 29-year-old England and Saracens fly-half.

In 2005, the 13-year-old Farrell had a trial at Old Trafford, and did enough to convince the club’s academy executives that the then goalkeeper deserved an extended spell with the club. Years later, they dressed him up as a goalkeeper on his stag fo.

His education began in rugby league – he joined Wigan St Patricks at the age of eight. When his father Andy signed for Saracens in 2005, his family moved to Harpenden in Hertfordshire, where Owen at the age of 13 or 14 was introduced to rugby union for the first time.

It’s well known that Owen is the son of Ireland head coach Andy Farrell. However, it’s less commonly know that his uncle Sean O’Loughlin is also a rugby league legend, winning 34 caps for Great Britain between 1993 and 2009. He also has two younger sisters, Elleshia and Gracie and one younger brother, Gabriel.

He married his longtime girlfriend Georgina “Georgie” Farrell (née Lyon) in July 2018. Their son, Tommy Farrell, was born in March 2019. They keep their life largely private.

He was not at first registered as a Farrell, but took mum Colleen’s family name of O’Loughlin. The couple married in 1995, changing Owen’s surname to Farrell the following year.