{"id":284247,"date":"2025-07-23T04:08:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T04:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/284247\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T04:08:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T04:08:15","slug":"andy-farrell-and-owen-farrell-awkwardly-navigate-selection-minefield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/284247\/","title":{"rendered":"Andy Farrell and Owen Farrell awkwardly navigate selection minefield"},"content":{"rendered":"

And so it came to pass, in a small press conference room in Melbourne\u2019s Marvel Stadium, that the two Farrells, these two giants of international rugby union, were seated next to each other and asked what it was like. You know, being coach and captain, father and son, working in the same team: what\u2019s that like?<\/p>\n

Short background: they have for ever detested any reference to the suggestion that they might be related. They are professionals, the fact that they\u2019re father and son is irrelevant. At least that\u2019s always been the vibe.<\/p>\n

Despite the well-practised body language that tells you firmly this isn\u2019t a subject for discussion \u2014 don\u2019t you dare go there etcetera \u2014 when they are actually side by side like this, well, it\u2019s just impossible to ignore, isn\u2019t it? So first Andy Farrell was asked how he felt his No12 had played \u2014 which was a neatly framed question because, of course, it was Owen who had worn that jersey. Owen sort of smirked, crossed his arms and looked into the distance. <\/p>\n

\"British<\/p>\n

Andy and Owen shift uncomfortably in their seats during Tuesday\u2019s press conference<\/p>\n

WILLIAM WEST\/GETTY\/AFP<\/p>\n

Farrell Sr got the point, saw the funny side and actually didn\u2019t seem to mind. \u201cSome good things obviously,\u201d he said. \u201cA nice little chip off the left peg. Some nice touches on the ball as well but always work-ons. There are always work-ons.\u201d <\/p>\n

The last bit about the work-ons was said in the spirit of jest. Owen smirked again. It was not quite as if any ice had melted, but a nice moment.<\/p>\n

The real essential background here is that Owen, not at this peak, is trying to break into his father\u2019s Test squad. That\u2019s the fascinating bit and it is natural to wonder about families and nepotism. I reject that as even a consideration.<\/p>\n

What is here for consideration is the fact that, until this game against the First Nations & Pasifika XV, the previous time that Owen had played a full 80 minutes was early May. At the end of this game he looked as knackered as you would expect of a player on a comeback, and yet there appears to be a genuine debate about whether he could fill a space on the bench for the second Test only four days later.<\/p>\n

\"British<\/p>\n

Doubts remain about Farrell\u2019s ability to implement mid-match tactical changes<\/p>\n

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND<\/p>\n

Personally, I think it would be bonkers to elevate him. He is 33 years old. Not even an athlete a decade younger is built to play two games four days apart when they\u2019re not match-fit.<\/p>\n

The gravitas of Owen as a leader is part of the debate here, too: what would it give the British & Irish Lions to have a man of such substance in reserve.<\/p>\n

Back to our press conference. \u201cBig Faz\u201d, as he is widely known, was asked about the second quarter of the match, when the Lions had a 14-0 lead and started playing too loosely too early, a tactical slide that served as an invitation welcoming the opposition back into the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cA 14-point start,\u201d he replied, \u201cshouldn\u2019t put you in a position where you start thinking that the space is everywhere. So we need to be better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point, Owen was looking again into the distance \u2014 as if this was a segment of analysis that was irrelevant to him. But if the team are starting to think the wrong way and need to be better, then the first person who should be changing the side\u2019s frame of mind is their captain. It wasn\u2019t clear if it was intended this way, but when Big Faz was making this criticism, it could have been pointed at no one more than Little Faz next to him.<\/p>\n

\"Andy<\/p>\n

It was abundantly clear who is boss within the Lions head coach\u2019s own family<\/p>\n

JAMES ROSS\/ALAMY<\/p>\n

This has always been one of the conundrums of Owen as a player and a leader. He is revered by team-mates for his leadership and rugby intelligence, yet he has often struggled to impose himself and lead tactical change mid-match.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure this makes him more suited to a bench spot on Saturday. What does seem clear, though, is that it is a different kind of Owen Farrell that has returned from his one-year sojourn to France. <\/p>\n

He has declared himself lighter, keen to enjoy his rugby more, determined to take on less of the stress. That may sound like management-speak or a press release, but from what I witnessed on Monday \u2014 a press conference in which he was engaged, interesting and even in parts entertaining, all of which is so uncharacteristic \u2014 I am prepared to buy it.<\/p>\n

This post-match press conference a day later, sitting next to his father, was definitely not the same. The dynamic was different, clearly. Here were two of the game\u2019s great alpha males, but you could tell which one was boss.<\/p>\n

At the end of this historic double-Farrell press conference, this unique opportunity to invade their family privacy, they were asked what it had been like working together as coach and captain. Owen said nothing and deferred to his father. His father then revealed: \u201cIt is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was all very uncomfortable now. Between them, they tried to work out if they had ever done a press conference together before.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t remember,\u201d Andy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably not,\u201d Owen said. <\/p>\n

It was what it was. And what will be will be, or, at least, what will be is what Big Faz decides it will.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"And so it came to pass, in a small press conference room in Melbourne\u2019s Marvel Stadium, that the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284248,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-284247","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114900586174793439","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}