Owen Farrell gives verdict on ‘pain in the a***’ star while Ben Earl makes ‘mellowed’ claim ahead of Six Nations
Owen Farrell gives verdict on 'pain in the a***' star while Ben Earl makes 'mellowed' claim ahead of Six Nations
Owen Farrell and Ben Earl appeared on the For The Love of Rugby podcast this week at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as they got a good look at the ground ahead of The Showdown 6 against Northampton Saints on Saturday, March 28.
Hosted as always by Ben Youngs and Dan Cole, the duo questioned the Saracens pair on various topics, including Earl’s ability to play in the centres, and of course, Henry Pollock.
Earl had a simple response to a potential hybrid role, claiming that he’d be comfortable in attack, but well out of his depth in defence, telling an anecdote that when he played in the centre for England, he asked George Ford how to defend, and was told simply: “Tackle them if they run at you, but if not then just swim out.”
With this in mind, it sounds very much like the Saracens star will be sticking in the back-row for the foreseeable future, with Earl even admitting that he’s become rather fond of playing at number eight.
No more knee sliding for Earl
In the England set-up, he’s been joined recently by the inevitable Pollock, who appears to have taken the heat off Earl.
The 28-year-old came under much scrutiny a few years ago for his knee sliding reactions to simple set play and turnover wins. Opposition fans ridiculed him for his reactions, particularly when England were performing poorly.
But now, it’s Pollock making the most noise, and his actions have overtaken the “mellowed” Earl.
“I think I’ve mellowed out a little bit on that [the knee celebration]. He’s taking it to somewhere else, somewhere I don’t really want to go,” he said.
“He is, like, one of those, though. Like, he whoops and hollers, and then like you go and get in his face and he’s like, ‘I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it.’ It’s like, ‘come on, mate.’
“But yeah, he’s bringing a new energy to everything, and rubbing people up in a certain kind of way. But I love it when he’s on my team, that’s, for sure. Absolute pain in the a*** to play against.
“I’ll see how long he keeps doing it for, because at the moment, it’s working for him.”
Owen Farrell x Henry Pollock room sharing
On one end of the spectrum, you have a young and excitable Pollock – on the other side, you have an experienced and battle-hardened Farrell. So what does the former England captain think of the new kid on the block?
“I shared a room with him for a bit (on the Lions tour),” said Farrell.
“It was only a couple of nights, but I did share with him. He is great. Every day in training, his energy is, like, massive. He doesn’t stop for no one. He is a constant with it, which is impressive.
“I sat in front of him in a few of the games, and I wish I didn’t. I felt like I needed a little break after the first half, never mind the second. But no, obviously he’s killing it, fair play to him.”
The attention of the media and the fans is clearly centred around the mesmerising Pollock as things stand, but once upon a time, all the focus was on Farrell.
Fans now appear to be truly back on the 34-year-old’s side. One commenter said: “Being a year younger than faz and being a big fan, it was great to see him so chilled and happy. Never understood the hate he’s received. As a big fan of all 5 on the pod, I really enjoyed this and laughed from start to finish.”
Another added: “As a South African, I can’t stand Owen Farrell. Not because he deserves it, but because he’s a world-class operator. The fact that he was driven out of his own team by a section of England fans – the same section that can’t run a mile or tackle a granny – continues to astound me.”
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