"Owen Farrell hated me" - 5 sets of rugby teammates who hated each other and why

Friday, 08 May 2026 at 09:16

byRugby Rucker

Rugby prides itself on camaraderie, respect, and bonds forged in the toughest of battles. But peel back the curtain, and not every dressing room is a picture of harmony.

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Behind the handshakes and post-match beers lie fiery bust-ups, simmering rivalries, and teammates who simply couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

From bathroom showdowns to training punches that nearly turned deadly, here are five unforgettable teammate feuds that prove rugby’s brotherhood has its breaking points.

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1. Owen Farrell & Dave Attwood

“Peasants, pints, and a bathroom bust-up”

Bath and former England lock Dave Attwood didn’t just clash on the pitch with Owen Farrell—they apparently can’t stand each other off it either.

The spark? Attwood’s cheeky quip calling rugby league “a bloody sport for the peasants” didn’t sit well with Farrell—who’s fiercely proud of his roots. As Attwood put it on RugbyPass Offload:

“He hates me with a passion… he thinks I’m a posh c***… I bagged rugby league once… he f**kin’ hated it.”

The fallout peaked during a post-match trip overseas when Attwood followed Farrell into a bathroom. A door slammed, nearly catching Andy Farrell in the middle of the storm. Since then, Attwood admits whenever they meet on the pitch, it’s open season:

“One of us is always trying to run at the other or throw a hit.”

2. Mike Brown & Ben Te’o

“Team bonding… with fists”

England’s World Cup prep in 2019 went off the rails thanks to a fiery clash between fullback Mike Brown and centre Ben Te’o.

What was meant to be a bonding social in Treviso ended with fists flying. Brown recalled Maro Itoje playfully slapping teammates, sparking Te’o to up the ante until tempers snapped:

“He walked back to me… and he’s just swung for me. He clipped me well. We came together and everyone dove in.”

Te’o later played it down:

“We actually got along quite fine but sometimes things happen when guys have a few too many drinks.”

The leadership group didn’t agree. Eddie Jones cut Te’o from the World Cup squad, Brown never played for England again, and the pair haven’t crossed paths since.

3. Paul O’Connell & Ryan Caldwell

“When a training drill turned into a near-death experience”

This one still sends shivers down spines.

During a 2007 Ireland training camp ahead of the Rugby World Cup, Paul O’Connell lost his temper with young Ulster lock Ryan Caldwell after a clumsy tackle in a no-contact drill. O’Connell lashed out with a punch that knocked Caldwell out cold.

Caldwell required resuscitation, was rushed to hospital, and later described waking up with his shirt cut open and blood everywhere. A team doctor grimly told O’Connell:

“The story is, you nearly killed him.”

O’Connell would later call it the darkest moment of his career, vowing to never again let training ground scraps spiral out of control.

4. Brian O’Driscoll & Austin Healey

“Drico gloves up and delivers a lesson”

On the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour, England’s Austin Healey couldn’t resist poking fun at a battered Ronan O’Gara, whose face was swollen from battle. O’Gara brushed him off, but a young Brian O’Driscoll decided enough was enough.

In stepped the boxing gloves. What followed was a one-sided demolition, with O’Driscoll unleashing fury as teammates roared him on. Keith Wood later summed it up perfectly: