Owen Farrell set for first Saracens appearance since shock decision to step down from England duty… with fly-half primed for daunting clash against the Bulls in South Africa
- Owen Farrell to step away to protect ‘his and his family’s mental well-being’
- He will miss the Six Nations – leading to doubts about his international future
- Saracens will have their skipper back for Champions Cup opener on Saturday
Owen Farrell will return to the Saracens side on Saturday for his first appearance since his club revealed that the England captain had decided to step down from Test duty.
The 32-year-old fly-half will not take part in the Six Nations – and may never represent his country again – after opting to prioritise ‘his and his family’s mental well-being’.
However, he will continue to play for the Premiership champions and after missing their home defeat against Northampton last weekend due to a minor injury, Farrell has been cleared for a high-altitude comeback on the other side of the equator.
Saracens will have their skipper back for the Champions Cup opener against South Africa’s Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
‘Owen is available and he’s going to play this weekend,’ said director of rugby, Mark McCall. ‘He’s trained fully over the last two days.’
Owen Farrell set to make his first appearance since his decision to step away from Test rugby
Asked if he thought Farrell would benefit from his England decision being made and publicised, to allow him to focus solely on club rugby, McCall added: ‘That’s a very simplistic way of looking at this. I wouldn’t dare to presume anything. I find it a bit uncomfortable talking too much about something which is really, really private, so I’d rather not say too much.’
Having Farrell back is a boost for Saracens as they brace for a daunting assignment against a Bulls side who are third in the United Rugby Champioship and armed with several World Cup-winning Springboks.
‘Owen has played in lot and lots and lots of huge games for the club, in Europe,’ said McCall. ‘He is our captain and he is respected by everyone at our club; staff and players.’
Meanwhile, Sale expect Manu Tuilagi to be available for their home encounter with Stade Francais on Sunday – as the England centre has recovered from the hand fracture which he sustained in the closing stages of the World Cup.
‘Manu is up for selection,’ said the Sharks’ director of rugby, Alex Sanderson. Tuilagi is poised to make his first appearance of the club season.
Premiership leaders Sale have opened talks with their Anglo-Samoan midfield veteran about a deal for another season after this one.
Sanderson explained that he is keen to retain the services of Tuilagi – and is appealing to his taste-buds as part of the quest to reach agreement.
‘When he came back from the World Cup I said, “How are you feeling? Do you reckon you’ve got another year in you?”,’ he said.
Saracens boss Mark McCall confirmed Farrell is primed for the Champions Cup opener
‘Manu said, “Well, I’ll get back on the field, then we’ll go for another steak”. So we’ll chat about it over a glass of wine.
‘I’ve got a deal with the wingers about hat-tricks and I’ve struck up a similar deal with Manu today, with bottles of wine (as the prize). I don’t know if it’s the right way to go about it, but it’s certainly motivating him! It’s about big hits and energy-giving. If he can out-enthuse George Ford, I’m going to buy him a nice bottle of red this weekend.
‘He’s more energetic and more enthusiastic than most of the 19 and 20-year-olds we’ve got knocking around the place. His desire to play in this Champions Cup – on the back of the World Cup – is quite astonishing really, because it’s always the drive that goes first.
‘He’s loving it. He’s loving playing, he’s loving being out there – and he’s probably loving the time away from his house, because he’s got a new-born baby, so he gets a bit of respite! He has been bouncing around today; back-slapping, high-fiving and just looking like a guy 10 years younger than he really is.’
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