England’s rugby fans were left in shock as their skipper, Owen Farrell, announced his absence from the Six Nations 2024 tournament earlier this year.
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The star player, renowned for his prowess on the field, has made the difficult decision to take a step back for the sake of his mental health. Saracens, his faithful club, broke the news in December, emphasising Farrell’s commitment to prioritising his and his family’s well-being.
In a statement dripping with concern and support, Saracens declared, “This means he will not be available for the 2024 Six Nations. He will continue to play for Saracens and captain the club. As always, Owen will have the full support of everyone at the club.”
However, while Saracens stand firmly by their captain, Farrell’s journey takes an unexpected turn with a lucrative two-year deal with Racing 92 agreed for the next two seasons.
Regrettably for England supporters, Farrell’s venture abroad at the end of the season renders him unavailable for national duty until at least 2026, adhering to the RFU’s stringent policy barring overseas players. He is one of EIGHT England stars moving overseas for next season.
Nevertheless, a glimmer of hope remains for the faithful as the British & Irish Lions have expressed openness to including Farrell in their roster, despite his offshore commitments.
“We don’t have a policy that closes off anyone from being selected,” assured chief executive Ben Calveley.
“If you just look at previous Lions tours, we’ve had people come on a tour who haven’t been playing for a national side.”
Although Farrell’s status with the Lions remains uncertain, he has affirmed his availability for the tour, emphasisng his desire to earn his place on the team through merit.
He said: “That’s a long way off still. I wouldn’t rule. it out but there’s no guarantee I’d e in the squad. There’s a lot of competition.”
Owen Farrell reveals the rugby players he doesn’t like:
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#1. Ryan Wilson
Remembering the incident, Marler said: “It’s become an incredibly hostile rivalry (England and Scotland) and I love it. The niggle goes back to the night in 2018 when Ryan Wilson picked on George Ford in the tunnel.
“Unfortunately, I was plodding back with a belly full of cheese toastie so I was nowhere near to intervene when Wilson started dishing it out in his thick Scottish-Surrey accent.”
Wilson later revealed he was banned from Twickenham following the incident.
“I remember that game, I was actually injured and after tunnel-gate, after everything that happened in the tunnel against England, I’d lined up a corporate gig at Twickenham,” he recalled to Rugby Pass in November.
“Had it all lined up, a little bit of cash, all excited, only to get a message back saying the RFU have banned you from Twickenham Stadium after everything that happened the year before.”