KINGS OF THE CUL-DE-SAC
As youngsters, these rugby-mad neighbours spent hours practising in their quiet road. Remarkably, years later, Owen Farrell and George Ford will play for World Cup glory on Saturday. Now read the magical story of the . . .
TO the casual observer, there was nothing remarkable about the scene, played out on the parks, fields and gardens of harpenden in hertfordshire 15 years ago.
two lads, kicking a rugby ball about after school. teenagers living in the same suburban cul-de-sac, no doubt with homework that needed to be done, but for whom a kickabout with a friend took priority.
Nobody would have guessed that these two — no different to any boys (and girls) up and down the country filling half-term time — would one day represent their country, playing side by side, with the hopes of a nation resting on their now much broader shoulders.
Fast forward to Saturday and those same two lads will be part of the most anticipated rugby match in more than a decade. For those two lads were — are — Owen Farrell and George Ford. Schoolboy friends who bonded over their passion for sport and who will join the england line-up in Yokohama for the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.
As young lads, they’d devised a system so they could spend as much time as possible on the important things in life. Practising rugby.
‘All we wanted to do was go outside and kick a ball around,’ Ford has said of their time growing up in each other’s pockets. ‘Owen used to come home and be like, “C’mon mate, we need to go outside and have a mess around, do a bit of my homework for me.” I’d be, “All right.” And I’d start doing a bit of his French or whatever it was. that way we could go out on the front and kick a ball around, it was stupid of me when you look back on it.’
Stupid? Rugby fans anticipating Saturday’s final would disagree. It has meant a deep friendship, forged as precociously talented under-11s playing rugby league (the code of the game with 13, rather than 15, players) in the clubs of northern england.
It followed them south when their dads joined Saracens rugby union club, and continued when the young pals went on to play professional rugby and be capped for their country (both were set to be named in the World Cup final squad when the line-up was announced this morning).
the friendship also spawned a nagging rivalry as they competed to play in the coveted fly-half position. to this day, it continues, with the england coach eddie Jones swapping them in and out of that role depending on the tactics and the opposition — to the team’s benefit.
even more astonishing, is the fact that both boys went to a school which has produced four of england’s players.
As well as Farrell and Ford, the state comprehensive St George’s School in harpenden can also boast Maro Itoje and Jack Singleton among its former pupils.
Farrell and Ford joined the school as members of rugby league royalty: Farrell’s father Andy originally played for Wigan but switched codes and joined Saracens in 2005, shortly after George’s father Mike — another rugby league original — was named the club’s coach.
‘I’d help Owen with his homework so we could go out for a kickabout’