Owen Farrell didn’t blink when naming his toughest ever opponent

byRugby Rucker

Owen Farrell has named England legend Jonny Wilkinson as the toughest opponent he has ever faced during his illustrious playing career so far.

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The superstar fly-half, revealed that he came up against his toughest opponent early in his career when Saracens came toe-to-toe with Toulon in the Heineken Champions Cup.

Speaking to David Flatman, the England captain hailed the former Newcastle Falcons fly-half while calling him his toughest opponent when asked.

"There are so many," said Farrell. "It would have to be Jonny (Wilkinson), simple as that."

"The consistency he showed throughout his career was incredible, he set a new standard for fly-halves all over the world.

"Dan Carter is another one who has been incredible over a long period, but I'd have to stick with Jonny as my toughest opponent."

There is one South Africa player that Owen Farrell absolutely hates

England’s fly-half Owen Farrell fearlessly expresses his strong opinions, especially when they concern individuals he’s not particularly fond of, reflecting his passionate and outspoken personality.

#1. Dave Attwood

Former England lock Attwood has opened up on the latest RugbyPass Offload about his ongoing rivalry with Owen Farrell.

He revealed: "On the pitch, I struggle a lot with Owen Farrell. We just don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things,

“He hates me with a passion. Despite my earthy roots, he thinks I am a posh c***. He hates that. I bagged rugby league once jovially. I was saying it to take the piss kind of thing, ‘a bloody sport for the peasants’. He f**kin’ hated it."

Read more.

Dave Attwood facts:

He made 157 appearances in Blue, Black and White over an eight-year period during his first spell at Bath before returning in 2022
His debut came against Newcastle Falcons at the beginning of the 2011/12 season after arriving from Gloucester, scoring four tries in his first campaign
The lock quickly established himself as a key player in the Bath pack and excelled at international level too, with 22 of his 24 England caps coming whilst at the Re
The former England international has also played for Bristol (twice), Gloucester and Toulon during his established career

#2. Ryan Wilson

The Scotland back-rower was the instigator in some tunnel argy-bargy when the players returned to the changing rooms after the warm-up back in 2018 with Farrell at the centre.

Footage of the incident shows all hell breaking loose when Farrell barged his way past a number of Scotland players to confront Wilson, who had been attempting to get inside the head of George Ford.

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.

#3. James Haskell

The pair have what we can only describe as a love-hate relationship.

As legendary as the 'best mates' videos were during the 2016 tour of Australia, Farrell certainly didn't seem to be enjoying it at any point.

James Haskell facts:

Haskell was born in Windsor, Berkshire, and first played for Maidenhead Rugby Club
He is the son of Jonathan and Susie Haskell. James also has one sibling, a younger brother named Edward
After retiring from rugby, Haskell signed to mixed martial arts promotion Bellator MMA as part of its Heavyweight division
His five yellow cards for England is more than any other player in history
The flanker has a digger driving licence. He's been obsessed with JCBs since he was a young child.

#4. Faf de Klerk

Farrell and De Klerk ended up at arm’s length from each other in 2018 during their summer tour just before the 20-minute mark and the rest of the two sides quickly joined in.

The pair have since clashes on multiple occasions, including during the World Cup final a year later. Klerk is clearly someone who gets under the England skippers skin and their appears to be little love lost between the pair.

Speaking about the pair, Tom Curry said they are 'very different characters'.

QUIZ: Can you name these EIGHT Six Nations legends…

Think you know your Six Nations history? Put your rugby knowledge to the test with this quiz!

Can you name the top eight try-scorers in Six Nations history? These players have lit up the competition with their incredible finishing ability, and now it's your turn to see if you can match their achievements.

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