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Owen Farrell set for first appearance since his big announcement

By PA
BARNET, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Owen Farrell of Saracens looks on in the warm up during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Saracens and Bristol Bears at the StoneX Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Barnet, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Owen Farrell will make his first appearance since his decision to step away from Test rugby was announced when Saracens launch their Investec Champions Cup campaign on Saturday.

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England captain Farrell will be unavailable for the Six Nations later this season after choosing to take a break from the international game to prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being.

He then missed Saracens’ Gallagher Premiership defeat against Northampton due to a knee problem.

But Saracens rugby director Mark McCall has confirmed the 32-year-old fly-half will face leading South African challengers the Bulls in Pretoria.

“He’s available and he is going to play this weekend,” McCall said. “He has trained fully over the last two days.

“He has enjoyed being with his team-mates, and it is a great opportunity for us all to spend a bit of time together away from the British winter.

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“I don’t know how many European Cup games he has played – him and Alex Goode have probably played in more than anybody at the club.

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“He is our captain, he is our leader, someone who is respected by everyone at the club. To have him on the field, of course, is an enormous benefit.

“Not just to have him on the field, but have him in the team-room, in the meetings… His contribution is so enormous and it is great to have him here with us.”

Three-time European champions Saracens have won the tournament more than any other English club, although they made a quarter-final exit last term to eventual winners La Rochelle.

And they will tackle a Bulls side currently third in the United Rugby Championship, having won five out of seven league fixtures this season.

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McCall added: “We have been really impressed with what we have seen, especially in their last couple of home games. They are strong in all areas.

“Games don’t get much tougher in round one than coming to the Bulls, especially with the run of form they are on, but it is a challenge which usually brings the best out of the group we have got.

“We’ve had a good relationship with this competition for a very long period of time. It has felt really good on the training field from the moment we touched down here.”

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f
fl 1 hour ago
The Fergus Burke test and rugby's free market

"Do you think Ntamack now is a better player than he was at 21?"


That's hard to say, but he certainly hasn't got much better. At 20 he was the top scorer in the six nations, and hasn't been since. At 20 he scored 3 tries in the six nations, and hasn't scored that many since. At 20 he was nominated for 6 nations player of the tournament, and hasn't been since. At 22 he was selected at 10 in the offical 6 nations team of the tournament, and hasn't been since. About a year or two ago a load of people started saying he was the best 10 in the world, which they hadn't previously, but my perception was that this was less because he had gotten better, and more that in 2020 his world class performances could be written off as flukes whereas by 2023 they were clearly representative of his genuine talent.


"Isn't that what your asking for from Marcus?"


Is what what I'm asking for from Marcus?


This thread began with me trying to explain that there is no reason to think that Marcus Smith will improve going forwards. Do you agree or disagree with that point?


"that the team wants/needs an older version of Dan Carter? Or are you just basing this of win ratio."


What? I literally argued that Dan Carter was at least as good when he was young as he was when he was older. And no, I'm not basing this off win ratio; I just think that England's low win ratio is partly a result of Marcus Smith being much worse than people realise.


"Of course some don't continue to develop past the age of 20. You're not really making any sort of argument unless you have new data. 26/27 is undoubtedly the peak of most positions/peole."


That is literally the argument I am making though. The fact that you agree with me doesn't invalidate my point. People in this thread were arguing that Marcus Smith would continue to improve going forwards; I argued that he might not, and that even if he does he is already not far from his peak. He will literally be 26 next month, so if you are right that 26/27 is undoubtedly the peak of most "peole", he's only got 5 more weeks of development in him!


"Hahaha, define "good"? I'd suggest to you theyre a "good" side now"


I think finishing 3rd at the world cup is good. I think beating Ireland is good. I think losing 5 consecutive matches isn't good. I define good in terms of winning games, and I think that the world rankings are a pretty good metric for quantifying whether consequential games have been won in a team's recent history. How are you defining "good"?


"Surely Ford or Farrell must have had a period of great success somewhere? What about 2015?"


I honestly don't know what you're talking about, or how it bears any relation to this conversation. Farrell probably peaked sometime around 2016 or 2017, Ford probably peaked a couple of years later, but Ford is still a better player now than Marcus Smith is.


"But my point was more the game in England. Having only recently adapted a more open game, the pioneers of that are going to find others take a while to catch up (your point about the rest of the team)."


England adapted pretty quickly to an open game in the six nations last year, and have got worse since then. If England play in the attacking style of play that is common in the premiership the players will pick it up quickly, as they are well used to it.


"So you want the rest of the team trying to halt this momentum and go back to a forward based game ala the success of the last two WCs?"


Seriously, what are you talking about? I don't want "the rest of the team trying to half this momentum", I want the rest of the team to be allowed to play the attacking rugby that comes naturally to them. You seem to have decided that because Marcus Smith has pioneered a style of rugby that works for a mid-table premiership side, the entire England national team should be forced to play it, even if it takes them years to learn it, and lose almost all their matches in the process?

248 Go to comments
f
fl 2 hours ago
The Fergus Burke test and rugby's free market

"I wasn't after conjecture/opinion thanks. Just a list. I guess I have to look myself now (I just want to read data atm)."


I literally listed all the games under Borthwick where Marcus has started at 10. Do you want me to apologise for telling you who won those games?


"you suggested they didn't use him and used a different setup instead"


I suggested switching out Marcus for Fin. I didn't suggest that that would require other changes elsewhere in the team. My entire argument has been that Fin would better suit the strengths of the rest of the team, and allow England to play an attacking gameplan that (i) comes naturally to the players, and (ii) has worked well for them in the recent past.


"Oh right, so the side is starting to play better with him?"


No, its playing much much worse. In 2022 England didn't lose 5 consecutive games. In 2022 England beat Australia in Australia. In 2021 Marcus Smith helped England beat South Africa. That was the best England have ever looked with Marcus at 10, and its been downhill since then.


"I'd like to see it continue now and see how good a Marcus side could get"


We know the answer to that. Marcus Smith was England's starting flyhalf for 21 months from mid 2021 to the start of 2023, and they went from 3rd in the world to 6th in the world. He's a good club player, but his club performances haven't improved since then, so there's no reason to think there'll be a different outcome this time, and so far there hasn't been. This summer he came into a good (but not great) England team who seemed like they were on the up, and performances have got worse almost every week since.

248 Go to comments
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