nitrogenNew year, new start. Or, in the case of Owen Farrell and English rugby, the most extreme potential makeover. If the former England captain joins forces with Racing 92 in Paris, which is increasingly likely, it will be the most controversial since Henry VIII’s 18-year-old sister Mary married 52-year-old Louis XII Anglo-French marriage. 1514, 15-year-old King of France.
As it happened, the latter relationship lasted only three months before Louis died of gout or (allegedly) exertion in the bedroom. They say modern rugby is bad for you. Hopefully Farrell, 32, can enjoy a less fraught experience if he moves to the other side of the English Channel and rediscover the missing joie de vivre that has led to his retirement from international duty.
Whether he stays or goes, though, the Saracens fly-half has provided England with the most sudden wake-up call of January. Is this really the future: the Premier League unable to compete with the richest top 14 clubs, with even North London’s most prized crown jewels vulnerable to a Gallic attack? We’re not just talking about the top 14, either. We got a further look at the oval over the weekend as ProD2 side Provence’s Courtney Lawes has signed his former British and Irish Lions team-mate George North Increasingly windy conditions. blow.
If Farrell and Rouse join the migration south, they will find themselves among a host of old friends. All 15 England-eligible players who have played in France in the past 12 months can already be picked: Henry Arundel, Jack Noel, Christian Wade, Joe Marchant, Joe… Symonds, Dan Robson, Sam Symonds, Zach Mercer (now at Gloucester), Jack and Tom Willis, David Ribbans, Junior Copoku, Harry Williams, Kieran Brooks and Jack Singleton. Matchday squad options will be even stronger if Luke Cowan-Dickie completes a proposed move to Montpellier.
None of the above names compare to the potential lure of Farrell, though. Unlike Harry Kane’s move from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich, it also shows that England’s warrior king’s sporting achievements no longer begin and end in Dover. The big difference, of course, is that Kane will still be free to play against the Three Lions at this summer’s European Championships. Joining Bayern does not mean that he has to say goodbye to his position in the national team.
In contrast, for Farrell, going abroad is a completely different matter. As it stands, he has been ruled out of England duty, citing his desire to prioritize his own and his family’s mental health. But hang in there. Let’s say he goes to France, starts to feel rejuvenated on his summer couch and is eager to join the 2025 Lions team coached by his father, Andy. What then? In theory, he could still be selected for the Lions through the top 14 and lead England’s starting 10 in that season’s Six Nations and play a role in the series win.
This scenario will unleash a huge cloud of hornets around rugby league, especially if England underperform. The union’s key executives are already under increasing pressure after failing to persuade the exciting Arundel (and perhaps now Farrell) to re-sign in England. On the one hand, every professional has the right to go where they think is best for themselves and their families. Likewise, it doesn’t look good when two of England’s top talents appear to be more interested in tugging at Twickenham officials. sky and white Racing team jersey. Doesn’t a red rose on the chest have the same irresistible appeal?
For now, either way, the RFU’s official line remains strict: anyone wishing to represent England must reside in England, barring exceptional circumstances. There is clearly a desire to avoid a Premier League hole and retain as much shiny, happy British talent as possible. All of this is understandable. The problem is that the world has moved on. Look at cricket, top English players hardly ever play for their country in red or white ball games anymore. So what if most of the players on the back-to-back World Cup winning South Africa team are now based overseas?
With RFU central funding already stretched thin, surely some middle ground that suits all parties can be found? Either give senior players the option of a one-off overseas break at some stage of their careers, or allow the national team to offer two “wild card picks” per game to non-Premier League players aged 30 and over if required . The RFU will immediately show compassion to its best players, reward its most loyal servants, help reduce Premier League wages and assist a grateful national team coach.
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Instead, there is only rigidity. When someone like Farrell, who has lived in St Albans since he was a teenager, fantasizes about getting a taste of life outside his increasingly claustrophobic bubble, where is the humanity that effectively forces him to abandon his country? ?if this is a problem encourage others To quote Voltaire (the veteran big-name signer of French literature), just tell the next generation that they will enjoy the same leeway once they win 100 international games, simply.
Or think back to what happened in 2009 after Jonny Wilkinson decided to move Newcastle to the south of France. Wilkinson helped Toulon win three European titles and earned his final 21 England caps on the Mediterranean coast. And his seven-time foreign Test captaincy? It was none other than Steve Borthwick. If the RFU wishes to show support for the world-weary Farrell and temper his impending exile, there’s a good precedent here.
