Farrell wins Rugby Union Writers’ Club award

Editor

England and British and Irish Lions centre Owen Farrell has been voted the Rugby Union Writers’ Club personality of the year for 2017.

Monday’s dinner in London saw the 26-year-old pick up the Pat Marshall Memorial Award, following in the footsteps of previous winners such as Jonah Lomu, Jonny Wilkinson, Martin Johnson and Dan Carter.

Farrell helped his club side Saracens to the Champions Cup, England to the Six Nations and the Lions to a drawn series in New Zealand last year and beat Exeter head coach Rob Baxter, Wales and Lions pair Jonathan Davies and Sam Warburton and team-mate Maro Itoje to the gong.

Meanwhile, former Scotland lock Doddie Weir won the Special Award for a lifetime’s contribution to rugby union.