Owen Farrell decision shows social media abuse gone too far

Another round of URC action played out as a precursor to the eagerly anticipated European Cup that gets under way this weekend.

Owen Farrell will captain Saracens in their opening fixture against the Bulls on Saturday evening, should he recover from a knee injury.

However, his knee injury is the least of his worries, stepping away from international duty for the immediate future, citing the mental wellbeing of himself and his family.

At 32 years of age, Owen Farrell has six British and Irish Lions appearances, 112 English caps with over 1,200 points scored and 237 appearances with Saracens, amassing over 2,600 points.

He's a generational player, captain and leader. Farrell is somewhat of an alpha male, standing at 6ft 2in and over 90kg. He’s not shy on the rugby pitch either.

You would think that someone with those stats would be a homegrown hero, yet Farrell is walking away from international rugby, a decision that he has made for his own wellbeing.

He should be entering into the twilight years of his career, and English rugby should be trying to maximise their exposure to his leadership and experience to bridge the gap to the next World Cup.

Farrell has grown up with a greater advantage than most other rugby players.

His dad, Andy, is a rugby league hero, the youngest player to win a Challenge Cup, international at 18 and the youngest captain of Great Britain at just 21 years of age.

Andy switched codes and became an English international in rugby union, has coached England and more recently won the coach of the year in 2023 as Irish head coach.

This family has vast experience in the limelight. With that comes exposure to public opinion, but that has been the way for the Farrells for a long time.

I remember watching Saracens