The younger son of England captain Owen Farrell’s father, Andy Farrell, has the potential to qualify to represent Ireland in rugby, setting the stage for a possible match-up with his older sibling in the coming years.
Andy Farrell, who assumed the role of head coach for Ireland in 2019, made the pivotal choice to relocate his family to Dublin. This move was influenced by his marriage to Colleen O’Loughlin, the sister of his former Wigan teammate, Sean O’Loughlin. This union has resulted in a family of four children, including Owen and Gabriel.
In 2019, as a result of their move to Ireland, Andy’s younger son Gabriel may become eligible to play for the Irish national team through residency, if not through ancestry. The final decision on whether Gabriel will pursue a professional rugby career remains in the balance.
He said: “Everyone from the north-west of England is from Ireland anyway. You go from Liverpool straight across the east Lancs to Manchester and it’s full of Irish. I’ve got [Dublin] ancestry that goes back three or four generations, and so has my wife.
Embed from Getty Images“The big move for us, and anyone else from Wigan, is to move down south. That’s the big move,” he adds, smiling. “Coming to Ireland and living in Dublin is almost like going home for me. Just the people and family-type atmosphere.”
Embed from Getty ImagesAndy and Owen both played together for English Premiership team Saracens and there was big competition between them.
“He says he never lets me win,” said Owen. “But I always win anyway.”
Andy, in 2020, proudly shared that Gabriel’s rugby development is progressing rapidly and that he is already surpassing the achievements of his older brother Owen at the same age.
Gabriel’s dedication to honing his goal-kicking skills indicates that he is on a promising path to becoming a talented young rugby player.
Five players who underperformed in the World Cup quarter-finals
We take a look at five players who failed to perform in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
#1. Andrew Porter (Ireland)
Irish Independent 5/10: “Pinged twice in the opening minutes, once at the breakdown and once in the scrum. Indeed, he drew the whistle from Wayne Barnes in two of the game’s first three scrums. Running dialogue with the ref but seemed frustrated throughout.”
Planet Rugby 3/10: “His illegalities at the scrum finally caught up with him as Wayne Barnes continually penalised Porter for not driving straight. However, it was his needless infringement in the opening minute which set the tone.”
RUCK 5/10: “Penalised in an early scrum, as his hips were too wide in the pack. A big hit on Will Jordan on the 20th phase, as Ireland defended strong. Couldn’t support Doris in time for his carry, as the number eight was isolated, and Porter couldn’t stop Savea’s turnover. Penalised twice more in the scrum for the same offence, in a performance he would want to forget in the pack. “