England captain at Rugby World Cup
Brilliant Farrell makes his own fans boo
October 19, 2023, 4:44 p.m
England is the last European team in the Rugby World Cup. They are underdogs in the semi-final against South Africa. The team not only hopes for Princess Kate as a lucky charm, but also relies on the unloved captain.
Owen Farrell must feel like he’s in the wrong movie. The 32-year-old is the captain of the England national rugby team and has scored the most points in their history. He has also played the third most international matches and has just led the team into Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa with a fantastic performance.
But when his name was read out when the line-up was announced before the quarter-final against Fiji, there was a disturbing acoustic mix of whistles and boos – from their own fans. This monstrous event could well be repeated on Saturday evening at the Stade de France in Paris. Farrell is a brilliant player, but at times cantankerous, taking completely unnecessary penalties and weakening his team.
He missed the first two World Cup games against Argentina and Japan because of a ban he received for a dangerous tackle in a friendly against Wales in August. This kind of thing annoys the fans; they would rather have George Ford, who is an impressive representative, in the important connector position. And they let Farrell feel it.
Royal lucky charm
Rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio even felt compelled to call the fans to reason. “You may not agree with his line-up, but he is our captain and leader,” said the 2003 world champion. In terms of sport, coach Steve Borthwick can’t get past the gifted kicking Farrell. He is probably not in first place in the top scorer statistics only because of his suspension. In the 30:24 win against Fiji he played a decisive role in advancing with 20 points. And against the physical brutality of defending champions South Africa, points scored from distance will probably be easier to score than tries.
Farrell has so far been unimpressed by the behavior of his own fans. This comes as no surprise to the coach. “He’s the kind of leader you want to follow on the field. He’s a brilliant player and he gets better in big moments,” Borthwick said. Against South Africa, he will position his back line in such a way that Farrell’s strengths come into their own. England are the only semi-finalists still undefeated in the tournament. Nevertheless, they are not even remotely the favorites in the repeat of the 2019 final against the Sprinboks. South Africa shone with incredible physicality in the quarter-finals against France and somewhat surprisingly knocked the hosts out of the tournament.
The English also fear the toughness of the three-time world champion. “Fear is not the right word, but there is a lot of awareness about what awaits us,” said striker Ollie Chessum. Princess Kate may once again attract attention in the stands. The wife of the future British King William is considered a lucky charm for the English selection as, in addition to the success in the quarter-finals, she was also there in the opening win against Argentina. Afterwards she didn’t miss the opportunity to visit the team in the dressing room. “Special moments,” the English association wrote about photos of the visit on Instagram. They shouldn’t have been the last.