Captain Owen Farrell wants England to return to winning ways after the humiliating loss to France, but on Saturday he will face the manager of the Irish Grand Slam-chasing team, his own father, Andy Farrell; “It’s not weird for both of us,” he said. “We’re just doing our job”
England captain Owen Farrell admits his mother Colleen is stuck in an unenviable position as she tries to deny her father and Ireland coach Andy Farrell Grand Slam glory on Saturday.
The personal circumstances of the Farrell family are a major subplot that delves into Saturday’s sold-out Dublin showdown, with the hosts favored to complete a clean sweep of the Six Nations.
Fly-half Farrell wants to crash the St Patrick’s weekend party at the Aviva Stadium after being called up by Steve Borthwick, having started last weekend’s 53-10 thrashing of France on the bench.
The 31-year-old insists that everything will be business as usual for him and his father, but admits it’s a sticky situation for family members caught in the middle.
“It’s not weird for both of us,” he said. “It’s probably a little bit weirder for my supportive family, especially my mom.
“She says she doesn’t know what she wants to happen. It’s probably a little hard for her, well I know it is.
“But in terms of us, we’re just doing our job. He’s not on the field, he’s not direct competition.”
“We’ve been doing it for a long time. It’s not the first time we’ve done it.”
Rivalries aside, the Saracens player has been very impressed by what his father has achieved across the Irish Sea.
“Ireland are doing very well at the moment, looking for a Grand Slam, which is a great occasion for them,” he said. “They are flying by the minute.
“They’re not number one in the world for nothing and there’s definitely a lot of pride in our family for the job they’re doing.”
Farrell junior believes he has ironed out the kicking problems he endured before being knocked out for the unprecedented humiliation at the hands of the French.
He insists that England is much better than that unacceptable demonstration and has carried out a thorough investigation.
“Obviously we’re a little hurt from last week,” he said.
“We are looking to take a step forward, we are going to play the best we can and we are really looking forward to it.
“They are two good teams. Since last week, everyone, especially from the outside, is very depressed about where we are at the moment.”
“We have no doubt that we are better than that and we are looking forward to the game.
“That wasn’t good enough, it never is in an England shirt.
“We’ve been looking at it closely, probably closer than everyone else, and we’re looking at what we can do better and trying to get that out on the field tomorrow.”
