Watch - Owen Farrell scuffles with Lyon players after questionable tackle

England flyhalf Owen Farrell was at the centre of a skirmish between Saracens and Lyon players after he was the recipient of a questionable tackle at the Matmut Stadium.

Saracens bagged an impressive 28-20 Champions Cup away victory but the Londoners didn’t have it all their own way in a game that was filled with incident.

One such incident came in the 41st minute when Farrell was hit hard after he had cleared a kick downfield, which ultimately lead to a try for the hosts. However as the try was scored a sizeable group of players from both sides were involved in a scuffle that had arisen after Farrell reacted the borderline late tackle.

Referee Frank Murphy and TMO Leo Colgan adjudicated that the hit was not late and the Lyon try stood.

Should this have stood? 🤔

Saracens aren't happy with what they feel was a late hit, but the referee awards the try for Lyon.#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/OJvlGkzPGR

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 17, 2022

Farrell was on the receiving end today but the England star’s own tackle technique has often been the subject of debate and controversy in the rugby community. One of the main criticisms of Farrell’s tackling technique is that he often leads with his shoulder, rather than using his arms to wrap around the ball carrier. Farrell, who is known for his physicality and competitiveness on the field, wasn’t ready to back down from the Lyon players.

Saracens Director of rugby Mark McCall has made just one change to the starting XV for the trip to France with Callum Hunter-Hill starting in place of Maro Itoje who picked up a knock in training, and there was one alteration to the bench with Max Malins recovering from a hamstring injury to return to the match day squad.

Sarries won their first European crown there back in 2016, and their win at the Matmut Stadium has built on their opening-day victory over Edinburgh in the first round of Heineken Champions Cup games last weekend.