England’s star skipper Owen Farrell is a captain, leader and legend… on the BBQ
ENGLAND skipper Owen Farrell is a master on the pitch and the BBQ, according to his team-mates.
Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Dan Cole have opened up to SunSport about their captain - read what they have to say, below...
JAMIE GEORGE
England hooker, Saracens team-mate and "best mate" - has known Farrell since they were teenagers
WHEN we were 14-years-old I never thought I would be here — but I instantly knew Owen would be!
Faz was in the school year below but always played in our age group. I remember him rocking up, he was this massive kid, humongous and only 13.
He had this bleached blond, long hair and was wearing his dad’s kit. He was incredible. And we have done some pretty cool things with Saracens and England since.
I was at his first cap in Edinburgh in 2012 and we have grown as people and players together. He takes his job as captain incredibly seriously, and rightly so.
He thrives in the international environment and we are very lucky here with England in terms of our facilities and the people we have around us with the backroom staff.
It’s a 24-hour day, and if we want something, we would get it. Faz loves the environment and makes the most out of it.
Faz is a really good singer — seriously. A really, really good singer. He is also great with a BBQ, which is a weird thing to be good at. His slow-cooked specialities are decent.
George on Farrell
As team-mates we are lucky we also get to see his jokey side, he is the first one out for a coffee and he does switch off.
What he gives the public isn’t maybe the true representation of what he is like. He is a good laugh and a good lad to be around.
I would consider myself to be one of his best mates but he still doesn’t give me a huge amount.
I will send him a long text, ask him what he’s up to and that - and it’s just one word answers!
If you didn’t know him, you would think he didn’t like you! It’s just the way he is.
But now he has had his son, I think it has given him a sense of perspective and it’s amazing to see him as a dad.
Faz is also a really good singer — seriously. A really, really good singer.
He is also great with a barbecue, which is a weird thing to be good at. His slow-cooked BBQ specialities are decent.
MARO ITOJE
Saracens' second-row, the powerhouse is tipped to one day take over from "Faz" as Red Rose skipper
EVERYTHING Owen does is with the best interests of the team at heart.
There’s no ego, no doing or saying things just to appear to be saying the right thing. Everything he does is to progress the team.
Faz has a brilliant rugby mind and sees things other players don’t. He picks up things other players don’t — and has been great.
Since being captain, he has put a big emphasis on being together and really enjoying each other’s time.
He definitely hasn’t detached himself from the group at all.
Owen is more integrated and is encouraging everybody else to do the same.
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DAN COLE
Leicester prop who has played with Farrell since the Sarries man made his England debut in 2012
OWEN has been a standout character in the position he plays and how he has grown up.
His confidence and ability to lead is probably something that has been nurtured through his father, Andy.
Since he stepped into the England team in 2012 he has had the ability to stand in front of the room and command attention and respect — that is what you want from a No10.
Owen leads not only through words but also his actions and that is what the team needs. He has to be able to handle the spotlight.
And as someone who has had a lot of attention from a young age, to not be affected in how he plays shows the strong kind of stuff he is made of.
With your fly-half there is no hiding place. Faz plays a position that is visible to the world and everyone that watches the game.
To have the temperament to handle all that, deal with the media and lead the team, it does take a certain type of character.
Cole on Farrell
To have the temperament to handle all that, deal with the media and lead the team, it does take a certain type of character.
It is credit to him that he has the ability to be able to do that.
The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes that fans and even us players don’t see, is incredible.
Owen will be at meetings making sure the communication between the players and coaches is right, talking to players all the time — so there is more going on than meets the eye.
Captaincy is not just about running out in front of the players and shouting — it’s a 24/7 job in camp and out of camp.
And the job is not for everyone but Faz is assisted by other senior players in the team.
It’s a tough job to do and I don’t think a lot of people appreciate the work that goes into it.
