The Times Magazine 19s Britain was going into lockdown
in March last year one rugby
YouTube channel, taking its lead
from trolls on Twitter, wanted to
know, “Is Owen Farrell the most
hated man in rugby?”
The 11-minute film, viewed
more than 480,000 times, offered
up 5 reasons why the 29-year-old
England rugby captain might be
the focus for such opprobrium. Is it because he
is English? Is it because of nepotism from his
father, former England player and now Ireland
coach Andy Farrell? Might it be because of
the way he looks? Is it because he has a way
of getting under people’s skin? And could
it be because he gets away with far too
much aggression on the pitch? The reluctant
conclusion was a showreel of some of his
greatest hits for Saracens, England and the
Lions with the caption, “Is it simply because
he is a very accomplished, world-class talent
that you’d love to have on your team?”
The answer has to be yes. Farrell exudes
confidence. He is England’s best kicker (and
fourth best in the world) with an 80 per cent
success rate in getting the ball between the
posts. Playing at fly half – a position that is
crucial to a team’s game plan by leading the
attacking back line – he led his country to
the World Cup final in 2019, and last year the
Six Nations championship and the Autumn
Nations Cup titles respectively. He is fast,
whip-smart and ultra-competitive.
Some would, and do, say too competitive
and point to a much publicised altercation
with Ryan Wilson in the players’ tunnel before
the match they lost against Scotland in 2018.
More seriously, in September last year he was
banned for five matches after a high tackle in
a match against Wasps. It left his opponent
Charlie Atkinson unconscious, and he wasand a crisp white T-shirt from his sponsor,
Castore. Twitter trolls will not be costing him
any sleep. That job falls to his son, Tommy,
who turns two in March. “I wake up when he
decides it’s time,” he says in his Wigan accent,
a smile playing around his lips. He almost
looks too young to be a father, in the same
way he simply looks too fresh-faced to
high-tackle an opponent; get involved in
an altercation in the tunnel; or allow his
ubercompetitive streak to push the rules of the
game beyond gamesmanship and ultimately
past breaking point. It is this square-jawedA
treated for five minutes on the pitch before
being stretchered off for concussion.
He’s been accused of arrogance, too, and the
trolls point to him smirking as New Zealand’s
All Blacks did their traditional pre-game haka
before the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
“It was a smile,” he tells me now when
I ask him over Zoom about these accusations.
“Nothing more than, there is nowhere else
I would rather be.”
Farrell is at home in Hertfordshire, just
returned from training, relaxing on his sofa
showered and casually dressed in joggers‘I’M LOUD. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COMPETITIVE,
THEREFORE I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VOCAL’
Farrell’s England are crowned Autumn Nations Cup champions last year Farrell’s response to the New Zealand haka, October 2019Owen with his father, Andy, when he played for Wigan, 1999 Owen with his family as Andy received his OBE, 2005PA, SHUTTERSTOCK