Owen Farrell reveals who has been giving him the most ‘grief’ as he makes intriguing fourth Lions tour claim
Owen Farrell during a British and Irish Lions training session
Owen Farrell has voiced an intriguing description about his fourth British and Irish tour, suggesting the 2025 squad run by his dad Andy is the tightest he has ever experienced.
The ex-England skipper previously played in the 2013, 2017 and 2021 tours under Warren Gatland in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
He wasn’t an original pick for this latest tour, but the July 2 injury to Elliot Daly resulted in an SOS call from his father and he is now set to skipper the Lions against the First Nations & Pasifika XV in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Farrell flew into Sydney before the July 5 match versus the Waratahs, and it was in the match seven days later against the AUNZ Invitational in Adelaide that he made his first appearance, coming off the bench during the second half of the 48-0 win.
“I’ve loved it…”
He will now skipper the team in their final midweek match, leading a matchday squad that includes all nine of the additional players added to the tour in recent weeks by head coach Farrell.
Darcy Graham, Jamie Osborne, Farrell Jnr, Ben White and Jamie George will all start in Melbourne, with Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Thomas Clarkson and Gregor Brown selected as replacements.
Asked what he has made of the class of 2025 since joining up nearly three weeks ago, Farrell told Sky Sports: “It’s been good. I’ve loved it. The lads have all been great. We are all pushing along. This is as tight as I have seen a team to be honest.”
Explaining that tightness, he added: “It’s credit to what they have done in the weeks that I weren’t here. To come in and to feel like you can slot in as much as I felt like I have is testament to how good the team has been. We have a few more boys to help out tomorrow [Tuesday] with that, so it should be good.”
Farrell made his Lions debut in the 2013 win over the Barbarians in Hong Kong, and Tuesday’s clash against the First Nations & Pasifika XV will be the soon-to-be 34-year-old’s 20th appearance in the shirt.
That’s a statistic he wasn’t aware of. “That was the first I’ve heard of it, to be honest,” he deflected. “Obviously, all the lads are calling me old at the minute. (Henry) Pollock is especially.
“That’s fitting at the minute, but I am just happy to be here. I am happy to be with a great group that is pushing towards being the best they can possibly be for tomorrow and then the rest of the campaign as well.
“It [the captaincy] is a massive honour. Off the back of what the lads did on the weekend, they had a great performance (when beating the Wallabies in the first Test). We are looking to get out there and back that up and hopefully push forward into the second Test.
“I am just trying to add to what these boys have already been doing and play my role within that, and I want to enjoy it as well. I did the other day, and it should be even more fun tomorrow… I have loved this tour so far, and I want us, and me being part of that, to kick on now.”
Asked about his Test team selection prospects, Farrell added: “I’m more focused on my job tomorrow, to be honest. The desire and stuff that you are talking about there, this is what I love doing, and to do it with these boys and in this team is an unbelievable opportunity. I want to feel that tomorrow for everyone. That’s including myself.”