Re-Wind: Owen Farrell's Lions career ahead of Test match return this Saturday

Farrell was initially overlooked for the Lions tour, with question marks around the match fitness of the fly half and his preparedness for the Test level following an inconsistent season in France. Farrell stepped away from the England squad following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with his move to Racing 92 keeping him away from Test match contention for an entire season.

However, the 33-year-old has since returned to Saracens ahead of the 2025/26 PREM season, and Farrell got a late Lions call-up following an injury to another StoneX stalwart. Elliot Daly sustained a fractured arm whilst on Lions duties against Queensland Reds, with head coach Andy Farrell making the call to his son to join the side out in Australia.

The call-up marked Farrell's fourth Lions tour, with the former England captain making his return in red during the one-sided win in Adelaide, over the Australia & New Zealand Invitational XV. Now, some 12 years on from his Lions debut upon the 2013 tour of Australia, the halfback is out to steer the ship towards another successful Test series, with his long awaited return to Test action scheduled for Saturday.

After missing the grade for the Lions' first Test squad which racked up an impressive 27-19 win over the Wallabies, Farrell shone upon his last audition to make an impression upon the series. Shifting positions across to inside centre, Farrell captained the Lions for the final mid-week match, with a fantastic shift put in against the First Nations & Pasifika XV.

The stand-out performance did not go unnoticed by the Lions coaches, with Farrell bostered up to the match day squad for the second test against the Wallabies. So, ahead of the legendary England man's return to the test match arena, here is a re-cap of Owen Farrell's British & Irish Lions career so far.

Lions Matches: 7

Owen Farrell’s maiden British & Irish Lions tour in 2013 offered a first glimpse of his mettle on rugby’s most storied stage. Selected at just 21 years old, Farrell entered the Lions environment with burgeoning promise, and though Johnny Sexton was the preferred starter at fly-half, Farrell’s contributions were far from peripheral across a successful tour Down Under.

His Lions debut came in the opening fixture against the Barbarians in the sweltering Hong Kong heat, where he calmly slotted three penalties and three conversions in a dominant 59–8 win. Farrell featured in six of the nine tour matches in Australia, including appearances against the resident Super Rugby sides, before earning his stripes on the Test match area. Despite being a baby-faced newcomer on the tour, Farrell was unflappable, and consistently showcased his precise goal-kicking for consistent selection.

A standout moment came in the clash with Western Force when, introduced in the 66th minute, he scored a try with his very first touch, capping a 69–17 victory in style. Though largely used in a supporting role to his Irish counterpart throughout the tour, Farrell earned his first Test cap in the decisive third Test in Sydney. Coming off the bench to replace Sexton, he helped steer the Lions to a thumping 41–16 win over Australia, sealing a historic 2–1 series victory. It was a formative tour for Farrell, and one that set the tone for his future as a Lions Test-calibre leader.

Farrell emerged as a central figure during the British & Irish Lions’ fiercely contested 2017 tour of New Zealand, in a inseparable series widely hailed as one of the greatest in modern rugby. Farrell, one of only a handful of returning Lions from the 2013 tour, brought maturity, precision, and steely composure to the side as he started all three Tests against the All Blacks.

Farrell got the nod to lead the first Test of the series from fly half, yet the 30-15 defeat at Eden Park ushered in a quick re-shuffle from Warren Gatland. For the remaining two Test matches, Farrell shifted to inside centre to accommodate Johnny Sexton at 10, in a tactical change that proved pivotal.

In the second Test, Farrell took over the kicking duties in the closing moments, to slot a decisive penalty with just three minutes remaining, to clinch a dramatic 24–21 win. This handed the All Blacks their first home defeat since 2009, in what was a momentous triumph over the back-to-back World Champions.

In the third and final Test, a tense and tactical 15–15 draw, Farrell held his nerve from the tee, finishing the match with a perfect goal-kicking record. His consistency proved vital as the Lions claimed a historic drawn series, as the All Blacks failed to win a Lions series for only the second time in over a century. Farrell finished the tour as the top points scorer with 45, underlining his influence in one of the Lions’ proudest modern achievements.

Owen Farrell’s third tour with the British & Irish Lions was unlike any before it, a campaign shaped by strict COVID-19 protocols, empty stadiums, and last-minute squad upheavals. Yet amid the uncertainty and disruption, Farrell’s adaptability once again proved an asset in a challenging series against the reigning world champion Springboks.

Farrell featured in four of the six non-Test fixtures, including the curtain-raiser against Japan in Edinburgh and a disrupted warm-up schedule in South Africa. Originally not named to start against the Sharks, he was drafted in following a COVID-related reshuffle that sidelined several players, in what was a recurring theme on a tour that demanded flexibility from the entire squad.

Ahead of the South Africa A clash, he was again called upon to replace Dan Biggar in the starting lineup, underlining Farrell’s reliability as a senior figure in a squad that was under intense pressure. In the Test series itself, Farrell was used off the bench in both the first and second matches. He contributed to a memorable 22–17 win in the opening Test but could do little to prevent a South African resurgence, with the hosts taking the series 2–1 after grinding out victories in the final two encounters.

As we discussed in the introduction, Farrell was a late arrival out in Australia after being initially left out of the 36-man touring group. The unfortunate arm injury to Elliot Daly opened the door for Farrell to jet out to Australia and showcase his talents upon a remarkable fourth Lions tour. Farrell rounded off the match day squad upon his return to Lions action, as he took up the No.23 jersey for the one sided 48-0 win over the combined AU-NZ side.

Farrell tore up in his 30-minute outing off the bench, with the Lions (and more specifically England) fans left with the realisation of what they had been missing. Farrell then sat out the first test against the Wallabies, with Finn Russell and latterly Marcus Smith taking the reins at 10 for the battle in Brisbane. Farrell would showcase his positional versatility into his first start on the tour, as he starred at inside centre for the albeit closer than expected win over the First Nations and Pasifika XV (24-19).

Farrell formed a nice 10-12 axis with his fellow countryman Fin Smith, with England fans getting their first glimpse at a potential partnership that Steve Borthwick could well deploy this Autumn. However, the focus is on the now for Farrell, as the Lions have the chance to seal the test series with a win over the Wallabies this Saturday in the Accor Stadium.