Another Lions player admits Owen Farrell won him over on tour
Another British & Irish Lions player has admitted that marmite England player Owen Farrell had won him over on the tour of South Africa.
Farrell, arguably English rugby’s biggest star, is revered by fans and respected by his teammates and opposition, but has become something of bete noire for opposition fans and players alike. However, the ultra-serious flyhalf appears to have won over a new fanbase during the ill-fated tour this summer.
Scotland flanker Hamish Watson revealed that Farrell defied his expectations, admitting on the RugbyPass Offload that the Saracens standoff was a ‘really refreshingly good lad’.
“Faz is a serious bloke but when you see the way someone like him works on the field, he’s so professional.
“That was the big difference on the Lions tour, everyone is so switched on during training.
“Let’s be honest, Faz looks like a very serious bloke on the field and people from other teams may not be his number one fan, but off the field, getting to know him particularly in the last week when he wasn’t involved in the Test match, he’s a really refreshingly good lad.
“We had some beers and it was great.”
Watson wasn’t the only player Farrell won over. Both Scotland’s Stuart Hogg and Ireland Bundee Aki admitted they harboured a newfound fondness for the 29-year-old.
āI thought he was going to be intense throughout the whole time, but heās one of them thatās intense on a training field and he knows what he wants from it, but as soon as you finish training heās proper chilled out,āĀ Hogg toldĀ Sean OāBrienĀ and Adam Jones on theĀ House of RugbyĀ podcast.
āI didnāt get that vibe off him in the previous two tours. I think that is why we bonded so well, because heās proper chilled out.”
Aki has similarly nice things to say about the Wigan born playmaker.
“But honestly Iāve learnt so much off that guy,” said Aki.Ā “I didnāt think Iād get along with him so well. Obviously you only know him from across the pitch, you only know him when youāre playing against him.
“But the standards heās been doing when Iām not selected, and the way heās been approaching me as a person and as a player, heās literally hanging around with us every single day.
“Which is cool, because you donāt see that side of him. Heās a great bloke to have around, Iāve learnt so much off him. Like I said, I have enjoyed my time being here.ā