The opening images of the video from Pretoria show Owen Farrell, a beaming grin on his face and a ball in hand (see below). One suspects that the social media post from his club Saracens, with the message “settle down” on Tuesday, was no coincidence. Earlier in the day, his club had also posted with a photo of their captain looking down at the Saracens crest on his jersey.
The 32-year-old may have retired from Test rugby last week to protect his and his family’s mental health, but the projection suggests the bond with the club where he first made his senior debut just 11 days after turning 17 birthday, seems to have deteriorated. as strong as ever.
A week-long trip to South Africa to prepare for their Investec Champions Cup opener against the Bulls on Saturday has provided the perfect escape from the glare of the spotlight since his announcement, but the word from the camp is that he as desperate as ever to deliver a big performance.
“He is our captain, he is our leader, someone who is respected by everyone at the club. To have him on the pitch is obviously a huge advantage,” said Mark McCall, Saracens director of rugby. “Not only to have him on the field, but also to have him in the team room, during the meetings. His contribution is so enormous and it is great to have him here with us.”
It was McCall who strongly defended his captain last week, labeling the criticism that has plagued Farrell’s career as “shameful”. McCall spoke almost like a father, pointing out that Farrell had been at the club for almost half his life.
It provided a glimpse into the culture at Saracens, where the player always comes first – a sentiment that strayed too far at times when they breached the salary cap, leading to their relegation in 2020. And yet the club has continued their success there always insisted. point was based on sounder values, not least on a spirit and culture often characterized by the willingness of their international players to return to club action when others might have been more ambiguous.
The latest example came with the images of Jamie George and Theo Dan celebrating the club’s victory over Gloucester moments after England’s victory in the bronze final at the World Cup in Paris, which was quickly followed by Saracens’ English contingent that en bloc returned to Premier League action. to secure a resounding victory over Leicester the following weekend.
The fact that Farrell, who could be seen smiling and signing autographs ahead of Saracens’ defeat to Northampton at the StoneX Stadium last Saturday, feels able to continue playing for his club despite the off-field issues that have forced him out. To step away from international rugby only underlines that sentiment. The club is behind him.
“I think what I’ve always found at the club is that people come first,” McCall said. “It is much, much more important than performance, results or outcomes.
“The people in the organization and taking care of each other and taking care of your teammates, taking care of the people you work with, is the most important thing. And I think that’s served us well over the years.
“It’s probably very easy to say that and very difficult to explain what it looks like in reality, but I suppose when the big tests come and whether that was on the field or some of the off-field issues that we’ve had, I think you’ve seen the club become closer and look out for each other. I am so privileged to be part of this group of people, some of whom have been here for a long time, some of whom are a little more recent and are just getting used to it.”
Saracens chairman Neil Golding, who was appointed in the wake of the salary cap controversy, offers a relatively fresh perspective on the culture and admits he was struck by the bond within the squad as the club faced the shame of salary cap sanctions. , including relegation.
“The general culture at Sarries is that they really give a ‘s—‘ about people. It’s hard to see what the secret sauce is, but it shows up all the time, from top to bottom in the sense of being supportive,” Golding said.
“Owen is a very high-profile example of that, but when you work in an organization that is successful and treats you well, you almost think, ‘What’s not to like?’ Owen and people like Jamie [George] and Maro [Itoje] started at the club as a child and grew up together, coming through the ranks and being at the top of their game. They are there with their friends and they are treated well.”
Golding recalls seeing tangible evidence of the closeness of this bond, when Farrell and the senior leaders held a meeting following confirmation that the club would be relegated for breaching their salary caps.
“The senior players, led by Owen, all got together and decided they would play a season in the Championship. Some like Ben [Earl] and Max [Malins] were loaned out because of the stage of the career they were in but the senior leaders basically said they would take one for the team and play in the Championship, come back and show everyone they hadn’t won things because the club had done that. exceeded the salary cap, but because they were a close-knit group.
“You wonder if you’d get the same reaction at a Premier League football team, but these guys really wanted to prove people wrong and so they come back even stronger. Mark and Phil Morrow [Saracens’ general manager] we are the same. There was certainly a kind of Dunkirk feeling among the club at that time.”
If winning the Premier League last season proved that point, it also provides the context to explain why Farrell is keen to return to action for his club at a time in his career when the strains of international rugby have taken their toll.
“Jamie George, Owen and Jackson Wray were young players when this project started in 2009-2010 and they benefited from the wisdom of some of the older players at the time and were allowed to grow and develop at their own pace.
“There were a lot of people in the senior playing group looking forward to them and the same thing is happening now. We have a group of 18, 19 and 20 year olds who have arrived at the club and they now have senior players who have a sense of duty to do the same and help and support people in the way they were supported.