He is not a simple summer recruit. Owen Farrell (32 years old) left Saracens after 14 seasons in the English club to put his name on a very special list, that of the great number 10s in the history of Racing 92. After Andrew Mehrtens, Juan Martin Hernandez, Jonathan Sexton, Dan Carter, Pat Lambie and Finn Russell, a new era promises to open in Hauts-de-Seine. Moreover, the club’s management made no secret of it when presenting its eight summer recruits.
“For Owen, you would need a double screen to record his record,” said the former coach and current president Laurent Travers with a smile. Six times English champion (2011, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023), three times European champion (2016, 2017, 2019) with Saracens, the fly-half also has 112 caps with the XV de la Rose with whom he won the Six Nations Tournament three times (2016, 2017, 2019). In 2019, he was named captain of England. A captaincy he would honor for four years, before announcing that he would take a break from his international career for his mental well-being after the 2023 World Cup.
“When you play 10, you have to learn all the French terms, the touchline announcements, the game launches”
So of course, for his first in Top 14, all eyes were on Owen Farrell on Saturday afternoon at the Pierre-Fabre stadium. In any case, when the players entered the pitch… But it wasn’t him who caused a sensation in Castres! It was Cameroonian winger Christian Ambadiang, who had just arrived from Nevers to CO this summer. With a phenomenal save to disgust Racingman Max Spring who was running alone in the Tarn in-goal area and the winning try (31-28) for his team in the 80th minute, he bowled over the more than 11,000 Castres supporters.
Opposite, Owen Farrell did not shine. Without much impact on the Parisian game, he even missed two penalties – although within his reach – which deprived Racing 92 of six points. Points that could have given victory to the Ciel et Blanc. “He tried to control the match but to be honest, we lost control at the start of the second half due to our own mistakes.” His coach Stuart Lancaster wanted to be patient and indulgent on Saturday after the match.
“In his attitude, in his way of speaking with people, he has an aura. Rugby-wise, he is above the others.”
Firstly because he didn’t play his team’s two warm-up matches at the end of August (a defeat against Brive and a victory against Lyon). But also and above all because he has to acclimatise to a new country, a new language and a new championship. “I speak English and I know him well,” explains Stuart Lancaster, who gave him his debut in the England team in 2012 when he was the coach. “I think that helps him to integrate. But when you play 10, you have to learn all the terms in French, the lineouts, the play-offs.”
For Racing’s English coach, it’s only a matter of time before his fly-half gets past the language barrier. As for the rest, there’s no need to worry. “We’re two competitors. He’ll be frustrated, I am, but it’s only the first day of the Top 14. The 26th day is in June, the play-offs on June 28, so there’s still a long way to go.”
Next meeting against Clermont on Saturday
Stuart Lancaster’s confidence in Owen Farrell is shared by his teammates. Centre three-quarter Gaël Fickou describes the English number 10 in these terms: “He doesn’t stand out for his talent but for his work”. Full-back Max Spring confirms and goes even further: “Owen arrived and from the first training session we all said ‘Well, he doesn’t have 112 caps for nothing’. Just in his attitude, in the way he speaks to people, he has an aura. Rugby-wise, he is above the others.”
The public is just waiting to see. A challenge that the English fly-half appreciates, according to his staff, and that he will have the opportunity to take up this Saturday afternoon for the reception of Clermont (4:30 p.m.).
- RMC Sport
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