Mark McCall has branded Owen Farrell taking a break from England duty as a “wake-up call” for rugby.
Farrell has stepped down from the England captaincy and Red Rose team and will miss the Six Nations next year.
The 32-year-old has opted to “prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being” by taking a step back from international rugby.
Farrell will keep playing and captaining Saracens, but will take a complete break during the Six Nations.
Saracens boss McCall criticised the online abuse of Farrell, but did not stop there – the angry rugby director also hit out at “mainstream media” criticism too.
“This is probably a wake-up call for all concerned, because there’s no way a player and a person like Owen should have to face what he has faced over a long period of time,” said McCall.
“Rugby probably does need to do something about this. I don’t know what needs to change. All I’m saying is that social media, we have zero control over.
“For me, this began in the mainstream media – not from everybody – and the narrative that was created around Owen. And then there was a pile-on on social media.
“There are some in the media industry who need to look at themselves. Down the years he has been made to feel that he has done something much worse than he has done.
“Every single thing that has been picked up on and scrutinised; that doesn’t happen with other players. You might say ‘he’s the England captain’, but I’m not sure that England captains have faced the level of scrutiny that he has.
“Very rarely is it positive, and we’re talking about someone who is a model professional, who cares deeply about what he does and who he does it with.
“He has been portrayed in a way that doesn’t fit the person that people close to him know. We’ve ended up where we’ve ended up.
“I haven’t thought enough about it to reflect on when the negativity towards him began. It probably began before he was sent off for anything, to be honest. There has been an unfair narrative and I don’t know why.”
Farrell was subjected to frequent online abuse during the World Cup, with England regularly lamenting the social media criticism copped by their captain.
Now the Saracens star has been backed fully by both club and country in taking a break from the Test arena. Farrell’s combative on-field demeanour has often polarised opinion in rugby, but now the toll has been laid bare.
The 112-cap talisman will be missing come the Six Nations, leaving England seeking a new captain and fly-half.
"There’s no way a player and a person like Owen should have to face what he has faced over a long period of time"
“I’ve worked with Owen for 15 years, every day, and the person that has been portrayed in the media bears no resemblance to the person I know,” said McCall.
“He’s a family man, they’ve always come first. On top of that, he’s a brilliant, caring, supportive team-mate and a loyal friend to many. And a very good, decent human being. That’s the person I know.
“The person that is portrayed and has been portrayed from time to time in the media down the years is not the person that I recognise.
“There was a narrative created and started and that’s been there for quite some time. There’s only so much that someone can take.
“It’s remarkable that he played the way he played during the World Cup, if we take into account how he was feeling.
“He’s a person who is right on top of his game at the moment, yet he and his family have been made to feel the way they feel. It is shameful.
“He does (get the credit he deserves) from some and he definitely doesn’t from others.”
