People are only just realising England rugby captain Owen Farrell used to have a different name
OWEN FARRELL is gearing up to lead his England side into the 2023 Six Nations.
On the back of a disastrous 2022 campaign, winning just TWO of their five matches, Farrell will be itching to get back to winning ways.
First up, it's the eagerly-anticipated Calcutta Cup clash against old rivals Scotland.
And Farrell will, as ever, be a key figure for England.
The fly-half is one of Test rugby's top points scorers ever, with over 1,100 points from his 101 Tests.
Farrell sits third in the all-time points rankings, behind only England's 2003 World Cup-winning icon Jonny Wilkinson and All-Blacks legend Dan Carter.
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The Saracens skipper is one of the most-recognised names in world rugby.
Or is he?
Farrell's birth certificate has been doing the rounds on social media in the build up to the 2023 Six Nations.
And it shows he was NOT born "Owen Farrell".
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In fact, the England ace was given the named "Owen Andrew O'Loughlin".
Dad Andy Farrell was also an England rugby icon - in both union and league codes.
Andy met wife Colleen O’Loughlin when they were teenagers - and the couple welcomed Owen to the world in 1991, when she was just 16.
As a result, Owen was given his mum's surname on his birth certificate.
The couple married in 1995 and the youngster started going by Farrell.
And the name has stuck ever since.
But there might be a split allegiance in the family during the Six Nations.
That's because Andy is head coach of Ireland - a role he's held since 2019.
England travel to Ireland on March 18 for their fifth and final match of the competition.
