Joe Marler offers alternative theory on Owen Farrell’s Test sabbatical

England prop Joe Marler has given a different view as to potentially why team-mate Owen Farrell stepped away from Test rugby.

The 32-year-old announced that he would be taking a break from the international game to prioritise his and his family’s “mental well-being.”

Most assumed it was as a result of the online abuse he received, combined with the media scrutiny that has accompanied him during his career.

But Marler believes that it is primarily fatigue that has caused Farrell to step back from England duty.

“Shattered”

“It’s a big call for Faz,” the loosehead told talkSPORT.

“I suspect he’s probably just shattered; he’s been going since he was 20. And he’s got his own reasons for it, and we can only speculate on some of the stuff he’s put out about it.

“The fact he’s the quarter-back, the general of the team naturally as well as the captain, yeah, there’s a lot of pressure on him.”

However, the loosehead would not be surprised if the lack of appreciation Farrell has received during his career has contributed to the call.

“I guess it’s not helped when he puts so much into it and he gets very little back, in terms of appreciation, or public appreciation. I think he’s underappreciated,” he said.

“For Faz, I’m gutted for him, I’m gutted for the England team as well, because he’s a world-class player.”

Andy Murray comparison

Marler wonders whether Farrell’s personality, which has led to a specific portrayal among fans and media, is akin to British tennis star Andy Murray, who received a lot of negative coverage early in his career.

“People recognise he’s a fantastic rugby player, but just because he doesn’t sit in press conferences and he doesn’t warm to the media, or that sort of public appearance, people then think he’s quite cold,” he said.

“I think of it a bit like Andy Murray, years back, where he used to get a lot of flak.

“He wouldn’t warm to the media, then he got a little bit older, little bit wiser, and he started giving away a little bit more, his dry sense of humour, he was a little bit more confident in himself. And then people sort of came round to that.

“He’s taken a lot of flak. There’s one thing knocking someone’s performance or playing ability. There’s another thing to start questioning people’s character. And then there’s the abuse he got during the World Cup.”

A rugby problem?

There has been a rise in online abuse against players and referees, but Marler rejects the idea that it is just a rugby issue.

“I actually don’t think it’s a rugby problem, it’s a societal problem, in terms of social media and the ability for anyone to say anything, without any responsibility for what they do say,” he added.

“I’m not sitting here as a victim or anything. We put ourselves out in the public eye and we accept you have to take the rough with the smooth.

“But at the same time is there any danger of just curbing it a little bit, or at least having something in place to stop people putting stuff out straight away, without thinking, to stop and think.”

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