News about Owen Farrell

ALEX BYWATER AT THE REC: Owen Farrell was described as 'unreal' and 'magnificent' after he served up a reminder of what Saracens and England will miss next season in front of a watching Steve Borthwick. This was a crucial victory for the defending Premiership champions, one Farrell said was much more like his team at their best. Farrell's 78th minute penalty ended Bath's second-half comeback and pushed his team back above the hosts and into second in what is a thrilling race for the play-offs. Farrell's last season before he brings his Saracens and international career to an end by moving to French side Racing 92 could yet end with a second consecutive league title.

ALEX BYWATER: Owen Farrell (pictured) will leave his boyhood side Saracens at the end of the current season. Playing his club rugby in the TOP14 means he won't be available to England head coach Steve Borthwick. But before heading for pastures new, Farrell has agreed to play for a World XV against a France XV in Bilbao on June 22. Former New Zealand head coach Ian Foster will be in charge of the World XV.

Rugby has always been a key pillar of England's sporting landscape. From Martin Johnson to Fran Cotton and Jonny Wilkinson to Owen Farrell, the country has produced some true greats of the game. But as the nation celebrates Saint George's Day, who tops the list as the best player ever to come from England? Here, Mail Sport's ALEX BYWATER dons his hard hat and ranks his top 10 England male rugby stars of all time…

DAN BIGGAR: In October 2021, I was part of a Northampton side which beat Worcester 66-10 in a Premiership clash at Franklin's Gardens. Fin Smith was my opposite number. Despite the one-sided final score and the Warriors' struggles at the time, I could see Fin, then aged 19, had a lot of potential and everything he needed to make it at the highest level. It had been a tough evening for Worcester so at the final whistle, I went over to Fin and we had a bit of a chat. My reason for doing so was to make sure the way the match went didn't damage him moving forward. The television cameras picked up our conversation and it went a bit viral.

As an international head coach, you cannot be constrained by external factors around selection because they don't allow you to pick your best team and therefore create a readymade excuse. That's what the RFU's policy, which means you can't play for a club outside of England and also represent Steve Borthwick's national side, does. I've long been of the view it is an archaic ruling which doesn't work in the society we all live in today. I look at it through a very blunt lens. Does the overseas rule make England more competitive? Or, as an Olympic rowing team would say: 'Does it make the boat go faster?' For me, the answer is an emphatic no.

Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Bill Sweeney has reiterated there will be no change to the controversial rule of not selecting England players based abroad for the men's national side. Steve Borthwick, the country's head coach, has seen a host of his international stars move to France with more, including former captain Owen Farrell, set to follow for next season. To be eligible to play Test rugby for England, players must be employed by Gallagher Premiership clubs. The policy has been called into question after an exodus of English stars to the TOP14.

ALEX BYWATER AT FRANKLIN'S GARDENS: Northampton's supporters survived, and Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson said his team's supporters could have a dream of what could be a spectacular double. Dowson's men progressed to the quarter-finals after competing with Harlequins and Exeter in a thrilling European battle. In the last eight, Northampton will meet the Bulls of South Africa. Saints will unquestionably fancy their prospects. They are currently five points up on the Premiership table and will face the Bulls on Saturday night at home and have a great advantage over the Bulls.

Six English clubs will compete in the last-16 of the Investec Champions Cup, looking for a spot in the quarter-finals, with European knock-out rugby returning this weekend. With five of the matches replaying of matches that took place in the pool stages, there has been criticism of the lack of fixture variety. Here, Mail Sport's William Rogers takes a look at Saturday and Sunday's upcoming action…

After Mark McCall's men revealed the signing of Owen Farrell's replacement, Maro Itoje is expected to recover from a minor knee injury for Saracens' tense Champions Cup showdown with Bordeaux. Itoje did not attend Harlequins' hammering and embarrassing loss by Northampton due to a health condition that had preceded him from playing a lot in England's Six Nations campaign. However, the second row - a key figure for Saracens' rugby McCall - is back in action and is expected to kick off his team's last-16 Investec Champions Cup trip to France on Saturday.

CHRIS FOY – WORLD OF RUGBY: How sad it is to learn that another of the mighty has fallen. Phil Vickery has been declared bankrupt, causing the former England captain and World Cup winner to withdraw from several enterprises. The 'Raging Bull' is expected to owe nearly £100,000 to Vix Ltd, his management company, which has gone into liquidation. Following the announcement that the 2011 Celebrity Masterchef winner's No. 3 restaurants had been ordered to close earlier this year due to the cost-of-living crisis that has wreaked havoc on the hospitality industry, there were also allegations of unpaid tax bills. Vickery, 48, seems to be suffering with his health issues as well as his financial problems. The great prop idol had joined the group litigation against various rugby governing bodies late last year, on behalf of ex-players who were still recovering from the after-effects of repeated head injuries.

ALEX BYWATER: Kyle Sinckler will be the new England actor to bring an end to his international career after the Bristol prop's move to French giants Toulon was officially announced. A number of English Test stars, including Jack Willis, Henry Arundell, Jack Nowell, and Joe Marchant, are already playing in France's Top14. Owen Farrell, Manu Tuilagi, Sinckler, and Lewis Ludlam will all be available next season. Because you cannot play for a club abroad, you must be recruited by one of the ten Gallagher Premiership sides to represent Steve Borthwick's national team.

CHRIS FOY: The RFU has denied that a television match official dismissed suspected foul play because it had been highlighted by a commentator, but the Saracens-Harlequins game last Saturday was'regrettable.' During and after the Premiership match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, TMO Stuart Terheege was overheard, saying he would not investigate Stephen Lewies' irresponsible charge on the grounded Owen Farrell because it had been raised by Austin Healey. On TNT Sports, the ex-England back said that the horrible crash should be investigated, and Terheege said, 'I don't want to worry about it.'

CHRIS FOY, THE WORLD OF RUGBY: More officiating has erupted. There's always something, isn't there? And this time, it's Austin Healey's fault for making a quick and astute observation in his role as a TV pundit. Stephan Lewies, the bemused captain of Saracens' thundering 52-7 victory over Harlequins, hurled himself into Owen Farrell, who was on the ground beside a ruck. It was an ugly collision, late and off the ball, that culminated in a scuffle involving several players. It was justified to take steps against Lewies, but nothing came about because Healey emphasized the offence on TNT Sports' commentary. Television Match official Stuart Terheege was over-heard telling referee Christophe Ridley: 'The problem I have got now is that it looks like Austin has instigated it, because we're late, so I don't want to talk about it, okay?' In essence, he did not want to be seen to make an attempt to ensure justice was done, but in the case where an external voice was being triggered, it was not really encouraged.

After being highlighted on television commentary, the television Match Official (TMO) in Saracens' victory over Harlequins appeared to be saying he did not investigate an incident. Austin Healey, a TNT Sports co-commentator, outlined a potential foul play by Harlequins' Stephan Lewies on Owen Farrell. Saracens' 57-7 win over Harlequins came with 13 minutes remaining.

Saracens were as rudderless as Quins, with Alex Lewington, Theo Dan's attempts, and two from Sean Maitland giving the hosts an unapprehensive half-time lead. Dan crossed again at the start of the second period before being arrested for Quins' Alex Dombrandt. Lucio Cinti and Juan Martin Gonzalez, both from Argentina, were in on the game before Alex Goode's eighth attempt to propel Saracens to second place ahead of a trip to leaders Northampton next weekend.

After a fruitful marketing campaign focusing on Owen Farrell versus Marcus Smith, a crowd of 60,000 people will attend the London derby between Saracens and Harlequins on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Only a weekend after the conclusion of the Six Nations, those charged with ensuring a suitable grand presence for 'The Showdown 4' knew that the No 10s made the right poster-boys for this marquee celebration.' When the return of the Premiership is marked by such a dramatic confrontation between two title candidates from either side of the country, there will be no sign of a comeback from the international stage.

Steve Diamond, Newcastle's rugby consultant, would 'definitely' welcome the Falcons as the first Gallagher Premiership club to receive Saudi Arabian funding. The city's Premier League football team Newcastle United is already 80% owned by a sovereign wealth fund from the cash-rich gulf state known as the Public Investment Fund (PIF). And there's a chance that Saudi Arabian funds will soon be available at Kingston Park, as Diamond continues to expand the Falcons' position both on and off the field.

NIK SIMON: Owen Farrell's face was a smile as he took his first interview since the World Cup. With a knowing smirk, the No 10 looked forward to this.' Press conferences have never been his cup of tea, but there are few people left before he leaves England rugby.

JOE MARLER: At times like this, there is nothing quite like the dressing room. You're with a group of guys who you see at the best and worst times of times, and it's a really special relationship. Our families come and join us, and it feels like a safe place where time never stops. Sam Underhill is expected to start the song after taking over Jonny May's role. There's a lot of mystery that goes into it. Every week, he designs a new line that only gets used if we win. It's constantly being redesigned. Owen Farrell and Mako Vunipola arrived and joined us. Owen didn't say too much because he kept his head down. It was certainly a strange situation for him. Mako made a few remarks about his latest hair cut; he's getting to a point where wearing hats is more appropriate.

England put on a superb showing to defeat Ireland 23-22, putting an end to the visitor's hopes of competing in the Six Nations Grand Slams for the second time. Marcus Smith scored an inch-perfect drop goal in the dying moments of the dramatic match at Twickenham, bringing the home fans into raptures. The importance of bouncencing back from losing at Murrayfield last time.

Owen Farrell, the former England captain, was seen in the stands at Twickenham for Steve Borthwick's dramatic Six Nations victory over Ireland over Ireland. In November, the fly-half declared that he would take a break from international rugby to safeguard his mental stability after being exposed to a torrent of cyber bullying before last year's World Cup. Saracens, a 32-year-old boy, said he was returning to'prioritise his and his family's mental stability.' Since being confirmed that he will join Racing 92 on a two-year contract at the end of the season, it has been speculated.

CHRIS FOY: England seems to have crossed the road as they brace for a showdown with Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday. They have reached a difficult junction, in fact, all the lights are off, and they don't have a map. When Steve Borthwick took over the national team in December 2022, the buzz word was 'clarity,' and that was achieved with a narrow game-plan at the new World Cup.

Since speaking out about his decision to leave his boyhood club and sign for French giants Racing 92, Owen Farrell has said "the time is perfect" to leave Saracens. Farrell, the former England captain, revealed at the start of the year that he was taking a break from international rugby to prioritize his and his family's mental health. The back's decision to withdraw from Test service was followed by equally significant news that he would leave Saracens for a move to the TOP14.

England has lost four times in a row since 1896 after losing Edinburgh. To me, this is a big statistic and one that must make English rugby sit up and take note of the country's decline from grace. England should not be losing to anyone four years in a row. That's not to say that Scotland is not to be taken away from Scotland. England is now abundantly clear from recent reports between the two teams' findings that England is a long way behind Scotland.