Dan Carter is considered an example of what fly halves can achieve after their 30th birthday. Not only did the All Blacks icon take the 2015 World Cup to 33, putting in impressive performances in the knockout rounds, he also guided Racing 92 to the following season’s Top 14 title. In 2019, his stint with Kobe Steelers in Japan yielded more silverware.
Jonny Wilkinson and Johnny Sexton are two more men who have had success in the fall of their careers. And now Owen Farrell is facing a fascinating phase. He will move to Paris this summer at the age of 32, more than two years older than Wilkinson when he left Newcastle for Toulon. But don’t expect Farrell to disappear.
“Do you think I’m tapering?” was the rhetorical question he asked at a press conference a month ago. If anyone had wondered that, Friday would have answered those doubts. At around 11:30 am it was announced that Farrell would represent a World XV against France on 22 June. Ian Foster, who coached Carter for New Zealand and will oversee the invitees, called Farrell “a huge asset” and “one of the most influential leaders in world rugby”.
That evening, Steve Borthwick and Richard Wigglesworth watched Farrell steer Saracens to a crucial win over Bath, which has boosted their prospects of a home semi-final. Mark McCall’s charges have shown the value of a top two finish over the years, so the stakes were high. A tense encounter was shaped by plenty of tactical kicking, but when Finn Russell missed for the hosts, Saracens created more, registering eight line-breaks to Bath’s two.
Despite only conceding two penalties all evening, Farrell’s team won the score 15-12. Their captain played an important role and hinted at some intriguing new developments in his game. Those close to Farrell insist he remains driven to improve. As well as commitments with Racing, there are other targets such as the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour and even the 2027 World Cup, should he return to an English club. In the short term, he will be desperately trying to leave Saracens with another win in the Premier League. This was quite a start.
Playing in space
Farrell has endured some undeniably patchy performances this season and here a heavy kick was shot down by Charlie Ewels at his first touch. Note that the up-and-down is aimed at Orlando Bailey in the backfield, a tactic the visitors would employ throughout the match:
Ewels also intercepted a rushed pass from Farrell in the second period. But apart from these two sales figures, the last one was certain and very influential.
Ten minutes into the first half, marked by sharp exchanges, Bath provided an opening for Saracens. After his own boxing kick two phases earlier, Ben Spencer is on the front line. With Joe Cokanasiga flat on the far wing there is no defensive sweeper. Nick Tompkins warns Farrell by shouting “chip, chip”…
…and a grubber creates a line break:
Taking into account the angle of the camera, this shot appears to show that Tompkins is almost behind the ball, and therefore to the side, when Farrell hits it:
Once Saracens are behind, Farrell bides his time. Here he is with Elliot Daly on the other side of the breakdown as Tom Willis prepares to carry:
Farrell and Daly start to weave around the ruck as Willis approaches the gain line…
…and they end up in a second wave behind Tompkins and Lucio Cinti:
Cinti’s pullback finds Farrell, who waits for Ted Hill to bite before sliding the ball to Daly. Will Muir must adapt quickly to make the tackle:
A few phases later, after slipping behind Ben Earl and receiving a similar pull-back, Farrell feeds Tompkins and Tom Parton scores:
Bath’s stern defense was challenged in several ways during this attempt, with Farrell forming the core of Saracens’ attack.
Lower approach and breakdown graft
Sage comments about the tackle school are easy to make and many would argue it’s time Farrell changed his defensive habits, but players still stand tall – especially when faced with powerful carries. Danny Care and Mike Brown both received a card this weekend.
Here, as Alfie Barbeary flees from a scrum, there is a situation where Farrell has stayed high in the past, either to strip or to outwit his opponent. Note that Sam Underhill keeps Ben Earl in the fray in an attempt to isolate Farrell:
In this instance, as he did for most of a match in which he completed twelve tackles and missed only two, Farrell stoops and chops down Barbeary in a textbook defensive play:
About seven minutes later, in another situation in the first phase, Max Ojomoh fell with a similar tackle:
This appears to be a tangible example of Farrell learning from the past – and where the sport is going – and changing his game. There was even an opportunistic breakdown that later spoiled. The clip starts as Ojomoh sends Sam Underhill up top. Watch Farrell:
After Underhill is tackled by Willis, Farrell sees that Ojomoh has passed the ball and is therefore unable to join the ruck. He pushes Ojomoh away and approaches Spencer, who had to protect the ball. Bath regain possession, but lose momentum:
Breakdown disruption is not something we would quickly associate with Farrell. The next sequence showcases a trait that is widely underrated: off-the-ball transplantation on defense.
Saracens have been reduced to 14 at this stage due to Maro Itoje’s yellow card and Farrell can be seen at the back of this breakdown:
Now watch Bath move the ball towards the nearest touchline. Farrell appears in the outside center channel, pushing Ollie Lawrence wider and completing the tackle:
This angle shows the space Farrell wants to fill, to the right of Juan Martín González:
He slides under his colleagues and gets into position just in time to connect with Rotimi Segun and stop Lawrence:
Farrell makes a lot of meters with these interventions, which allows the defense to maintain width in the front line and is especially valuable when the team is undermanned and under pressure.
Balance in the backfield
There are many fly halves who are significantly more dangerous as backfield runners. Richie Mo’unga and Marcus Smith are among the most threatening in this regard. In reality, most pose more problems than Farrell when it comes to pace and footwork. That said, the Bath game hinted at improvements in this aspect of his game.
Here, in the 19th minute, Farrell rises to collect Matt Gallagher’s high ball:
Just before half time, Spencer takes to the air again. Daly is standing under the ball with Farrell towards the center of the field in the backfield. At this stage, Farrell will scan the Bath chase for potential mismatches:
Daly catches and finds Farrell, who looks to his left before flinching, pulling Ewels and Beno Obano towards him and tucking Eroni Mawi into a small pocket of space. Mawi can switch to Willis, who attacks the middle:
Two minutes later, on the stroke of half-time, more scans from Farrell helped Saracens. Gallagher, the Bath full-back, is the key figure. He has to be wary of Farrell’s position and shadow him to some extent. Here are both men standing on the same side of the ruck:
As Gallagher appears to look away for a moment, Farrell makes his move and joins Daly and Segun on the near side:
With three attackers facing three defenders, the space is exaggerated and Farrell’s pinpoint chip leaves Segun free:
Farrell lands the touchline conversion for good measure:
It’s highly unlikely that Farrell will turn into a quick kick returner, but his passing skills can spark chases and unleash teammates out of the backfield.
Changing the picture on the counter
This next passage, early in the second half, begins with Farrell’s towering kick:
Cokanasiga is unable to collect the ball under pressure from Cinti, handing possession to Saracens in a broken field situation. Earl turns to feed Farrell and a 20-yard pass to Daly puts Bath in trouble.
Working off the ball gets Saracens’ attack ticking and Segun kicks back to make himself available on the edge. Daly finds the right wing, which breaks off the outside:
A minute later, Farrell looks for Bailey in the backfield…
…and finds the youngster, allowing Parton and González to charge through and disrupt:
Bath’s bench had a strong influence on the game, with the scrumming and scrapping fighting reducing the score to 12-12. About seven minutes before the end, more backfield work from Farrell allowed Saracens to steal ahead.
With Bailey having just left the field, replacement scrum-half Louis Schreuder has to join the back three. Farrell wants to challenge him under a high ball:
However, the strike is not entirely justified. Schreuder catches and sends a kick deep into the opponent’s territory. Saracens escape thanks to a counter involving four players: Farrell, Ivan van Zyl, Tompkins and Theo Dan:
They all work hard to get behind the ball again, but Farrell puts everything on edge. He goes across to rally and beat down Gallagher before stepping in as Schreuder looks at him. A tap to Van Zyl changes the picture. Suddenly the counter reads:
Some time later, via Dan’s exciting break, forward kick and tackle on Cameron Redpath, Farrell is awarded the decisive penalty.
After representing Saracens and England for so long, an unfamiliar environment at Racing 92 will be stimulating for Farrell. Frédéric Michalak and Joe Rokocoko are part of Stuart Lancaster’s staff. Both certainly offer different perspectives, as do new teammates like Siya Kolisi, Nolann Le Garrec and Gaël Fickou.
Farrell’s game is not dependent on top speed over the ground, so age should not compromise his displays just yet. His leadership and the way he prepares will also continue to mature.
Before that, Farrell will of course helm Saracens’ intriguing bid to defend their Premiership title against other teams such as Northampton Saints and Bath. Both challengers appear to be on an upward trajectory as Mark McCall enters a tangible transition period.
For Farrell, life away from Saracens is getting closer. During his stay, Steve Borthwick and Richard Wigglesworth will still have plenty of talent. George Ford enjoyed a great Six Nations, while Marcus Smith and Fin Smith are hitting the ground running. Nevertheless, England’s coaches will remain interested observers of Farrell’s performances, as they did at The Rec.
Match images courtesy of Premiership Rugby