Owen Farrell has changed the way English rugby is played and the way the England team thinks.
That was the verdict of Jamie George as team mates and coaches lined up to hail the influence of just the third Englishman to reach a century of caps. Farrell hits three figures on Saturday when he captains his country against New Zealand at Twickenham. He does so credited with a profound and lasting influence on the sport during 10 years in the national team.
George said: ”Owen has changed the way English rugby has been played, we can genuinely say that. He’s changed the mindset of the team, giving us the belief to play against teams like the All Blacks.
“He's led the way throughout his 99 caps. There has not been a day I've trained with him where I thought, 'He's having an off day’. The way he fights and shows resilience, it's like nothing I've ever seen.”
Farrell follows Ben Youngs (119) and Jason Leonard (114) in reaching his ton. Sarah Hunter (140) and Rocky Clark (137) lead the way in the women’s game: “There’s an aura about Owen,” Luke Cowan-Dickie said. “His presence in the team makes you raise your own game another level.
“When you first come in you maybe feel he’s asking for too much but you come to realise he’s not. That what he wants is the best for you and the team. I can guarantee his 100th cap won’t change the way he approaches or plays the game. But the rest of us will be going to the next level to try and make it the best experience of his life.”
Farrell has won 68 Tests with England, scoring 1113 points. He has led his country 36 times, including the 2019 World Cup final: “Sometimes I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves,” said Eddie Jones.
“When you’re a tough, gritty player like Owen is, it’s harder to be liked isn’t it? That’s the reality. He’s combative, he’s very focused about the game and he doesn’t open himself up a lot. The media like people who open themselves up."
It is exactly those uncompromising qualities that make him so appreciated at the elite end of the game: “I always remember him setting the tone with his body language against the haka in 2019,” said All Blacks great Dan Carter, who would rather forget what happened next.
Not only in rugby union circles is he prized. England rugby league captain Sam Tomkins rates him the “the best rugby league player of the last ten years and he’s never played a game." Anthony Seibold knows plenty about league, indeed next month he quits his role as Jones’ defence coach to become head coach of NRL side Manly.
“I’ve watched rugby a whole heap and Owen’s got a spirit that you don’t come across often,” he agreed. “In league, the guys I worked with similar to him are Cameron Smith and Billy Slater. Not so much in how they played the game but their competitive spirit and how they lead in the changing room with their actions and their words.
“I’ve great admiration for Owen. I hold him in the highest esteem."
England’s five most-capped male players:
119 - Ben Youngs
114 - Jason Leonard
99 - Owen Farrell
97 - Dylan Hartley
96 - Courtney Lawes
