#4. Owen Farrell (England)
Farrell fits the label “our guy” better than most, meaning you love to hate him unless he’s in your squad. Then you’d go to the end’s of the earth to defend him. The England captain, also known as ‘Shoulder boy’ for his high tackling, does himself no favours with his poor tackling technique.
Owen Farrell facts:
- The Saracens star went to school with England teammate George Ford
- His education began in rugby league – he joined Wigan St Patricks at the age of eight
- He became the youngest ever player to appear in English professional rugby, making his debut aged 17 and 11 days. This record was later beaten by schoolmate Ford
- 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 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.