Former England fly-half Owen Farrell made headlines as he attended a Six Nations match over the weekend, but it wasn’t to root for Steve Borthwick’s team.
Instead, Farrell’s visit to the match comes amidst his decision to step down from England duty, citing mental health reasons following his leadership of the Red Rose men to a commendable third-place finish at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France.
At 32 years old, the seasoned fly-half will continue to lead as captain for Saracens but has declared he won’t be gracing the field for England in the Six Nations or any forthcoming matches.
This decision, entirely his own, comes as he transitions to his new endeavour with Racing 92 from next season.
During the weekend, Owen took a trip to Ireland to spend time with his family, and was spotted at the Aviva .
His father, Andy Farrell, who took up the mantle of head coach for Ireland in 2019, made the significant decision to relocate the family to Dublin, where Owen’s mum and brother now reside.
Fans were quick to react to a heartwarming image of Owen supporting his father, sending well-wishes and expressing admiration for the close-knit Farrell family.
Reacting to the image, one fan wrote: “Hope he is enjoying his time off and feeling better nice to see him over supporting his dad.”
A second said: “Great to see the Farrell family being able to come together to share big moments without a lid of hype. Have always heard Owen to be a lovely chap.”
Another commented: “Great photo, something he probably does not get to do much!. As he is normally working 6nations weekends.”
Speculation also arose about the potential rugby career of Andy’s younger son, Gabriel, who could qualify to play for the Irish national team through residency.
Andy himself commented on the family’s move to Ireland, emphasising the strong historical ties between the north-west of England and Ireland, expressing a sense of homecoming by settling in Dublin.
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“Early again” – England given easy group in 2027 Rugby World Cup draw
The Rugby World Cup 2027 draw is scheduled to occur in January 2026, providing a unique scenario with a full two years of international competition still to unfold.
This early draw will utilize the World Rankings as of the conclusion of November 2025 to determine the seeding of participating teams.
During the draw, the 24 participating teams will be divided into six pools, each consisting of four teams. Notably, this draw will transpire before the regional qualifiers have concluded, resulting in a dual-world approach.
On one side, we have the twelve automatic qualifiers from the 2023 Rugby World Cup, confirmed by their names. On the other side, the regional qualifiers will be represented as Africa 1, Europe 1, Europe 2, and so forth.
Rugby World Cup 2027 is set to be hosted in Australia, marking the eleventh edition of the Men’s Rugby World Cup and the third time it will take place in Australia. The country previously co-hosted the inaugural Rugby World Cup with New Zealand in 1987 and served as the sole host in 2003.
With the current World Rankings in mind, let’s delve into how the 2027 Rugby World Cup will shape up via Rugby Centre.
2027 Rugby World Cup draw (Current rankings)
POOL A
- South Africa
- Australia
- Portugal
- Spain
POOL B
- France
- Fiji
- Tonga
- Chile
