by The British and Irish Lions have left the door open to signing Owen Farrell for next summer’s tour of Australia, even if the midfielder is not playing for England.
When he was unveiled as Lions head coach in London on Thursday, Andy Farrell said he had no discussions with his son about his potential availability after the England captain announced his retirement from international rugby late last year.
Despite no timeline being given for a possible return, the Saracens winger has already been tipped as the bookies’ favorite to captain the Lions on what would be his fourth outing. Racing 92, who compete in France’s Top 14, are confident of luring Farrell from Saracens in the summer, which would, under Rugby Football regulations, make him ineligible for England selection. Depending on Racing’s participation in the top 14 play-offs next season, Farrell could also miss the Lions’ pre-tour training camp and their opening game against the Western Force.
Northampton winger Courtney Lawes has also been heavily linked with a move to France, where openside Jack Willis and winger Henry Arundell could be in the mix for selection. But despite the Premiership moving its final game forward to help the Lions’ preparations, chief executive Ben Calveley says all players will be considered for selection regardless of where they are based.
“We don’t have a policy that shuts anyone out from being selected,” Calveley said. “If you look at previous Lions tours, people have come on tour who have not played for the national team. Will Greenwood [in 1997] It’s a great example, although we’re going way back there. In 2021, Finn Russell was based in France, so we have no restrictions on the selection.
“When we think of Owen, we think of someone who is one of the best players the Lions have ever had as a three-time tourist, and we wish him well as he tries to retire from the international game. The selection, as Andy says, is going to happen in 18 months.”
Farrell would rank as the Lions’ most experienced midfielder and captain next summer with a resume that few other players will be able to match. Form, however, is the only barometer on which Farrell Senior will make selections, whether for club or country. “It’s about form, it’s about looking at the game properly,” Farrell said. “The selection, as far as that is concerned, is the same as everyone else. Not the other way around.”
When asked about his son’s decision to quit England, Farrell said it was “his own choice” and that he would also support his move to Racing 92. “No promises,” Farrell said. “It’s a short career. You want to do things that float your boat and make your family happy. It’s about the memories you create, not only for yourself but for others as well. For some people the idea of committing yourself to one club over and over is overwhelming. Owen has that at Saracens but if things change – and I don’t know if they will or not – it will be for the right reasons or to do the right thing for whatever that person feels they need to do with be happy “
The Irish head coach was selected for the Lions role by a panel including Calveley as well as former Lions, Ieuan Evans, Ian McGeechan, Nigel Redman and Brian O’Driscoll. Calveley described Farrell, who toured twice as assistant coach in 2013 and 2017, as “an excellent candidate for this role”. Calveley also confirmed that Rugby Australia is contractually obliged to supply Wallabies to its Super Rugby franchise for the warm-up games. A lack of rigorous tests has weighed on the Lions in the run-up to previous tours.
Talks have already begun over a possible tour to New Zealand in 2029, but Calveley has revealed they are exploring visiting other territories with no fixed deal in place for the Lions to follow their traditional schedule. “There are no long-term commitments in place, except that the Lions have a position on the calendar that repeats every four years,” Calveley said. “We are interested in establishing relationships with teams in different areas around the world. Now don’t take that as me saying we’re going to tour somewhere else anytime soon, but we’ve established a relationship with Japan three years ago, we’re playing in Argentina in Dublin before we go to Australia.
“It is really important for us to be a global offer, and to develop relationships with different geographies. There’s a piece of work we’re about to start called the ‘Beyond 25 Project’, which is about what the Lions can do differently in the future.”
