Owen Farrell heads to his third World Cup next month and his second as captain.
Having led England to the final in 2019, the 31-year-old will be desperate to go one better this time around under Steve Borthwick, who was forwards coach on the 2017 British & Irish Lions Tour of New Zealand.
Farrell’s influence on and off the field will be key if England are to achieve that ambition and as he has shown on countless occasions over the years, the Wiganer is the man for the big occasion…
First Premiership final
The son of Andy Farrell, who represented his country in both rugby union and rugby league and now coaches Ireland, the fly-half is part of a family steeped in both codes.
Owen has solely dedicated his career to union thus far and, having made his Saracens debut 11 days after his 17th birthday in October 2008, announced himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Premiership final just under three years later.
Still only 19, Farrell landed all six of his kicks from the tee, scoring 17 of Saracens’ 22 points as they edged past Leicester Tigers.
Tigers had England star Toby Flood in their ranks but Farrell won the battle of the 10s and helped his side lift silverware.
⭐️ 2013
⭐️ 2017
⭐️ 2021Wishing three-time Lions tourist Owen Farrell a very happy birthday 🎉 pic.twitter.com/sKlMSxL48r
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) September 24, 2022
Conquering Carter
Farrell made his England bow in the 2012 Six Nations, scoring 63 points across the Championship in all to repay the faith of new head coach Stuart Lancaster.
In December of the same year, Farrell faced the toughest test a fly-half could ask for as Dan Carter and the All Blacks, world champions at the time, arrived in South-West London.
It was an examination the youngster passed with flying colours, outplaying his illustrious opposite number and slotting 17 points as the hosts pulled off a sensational 38-21 victory.
Grand Slam glory
Farrell’s first taste of international silverware came in 2016 as he helped England seal a Six Nations clean sweep.
An ever-present at inside centre, Farrell was the Championship’s leading scorer with 69 points as Eddie Jones’ side landed five straight victories, two late penalties in the Stade de France securing the last of those as England ran out 31-21 winners over France.
It marked the start of a memorable year for Farrell, who that summer played a key role in England’s 3-0 whitewash of Australia and was nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year award for a second time.
Taming the All Blacks
Farrell’s first Lions Tour came in 2013, when his sole Test appearance came off the bench in the decider won 41-16 by the tourists.
Four years later, he was a key component of the Lions squad and, as it so often has, his versatility again came to the fore.
Owen Farrell kicks the penalty to put the Lions ahead.
Having started the first Test at fly-half, Farrell switched to inside centre for the remaining two and slotted a 77th-minute penalty with the score locked at 21-21 to level the series in Wellington.
The following week, Farrell was successful with all four of his penalties as the Lions earned a 15-15 draw and squared an unforgettable series.
Joining the 1,000 club
Farrell joined esteemed company in the Autumn Nations Cup Final of 2020, becoming the sixth man to score 1,000 international points as England held off France to lift the trophy at Twickenham.
He remains a key cog in the machine and has further history in his sights at the upcoming World Cup, as he is currently just 26 points behind Jonny Wilkinson in England’s all-time list of top point scorers
