Box office battle as titanic 10s Smith and Farrell clash
THERE will be a crowd of 60,000 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium today for the London derby between Saracens and Harlequins, after a successful marketing campaign which focused on Owen Farrell versus Marcus Smith.
Those charged with ensuring a suitably grand attendance for ‘The Showdown 4’ knew that the No 10s made the ideal poster-boys for this marquee occasion, just a weekend after the end of the Six Nations. There will be no sense of a comedown from the international heights when the return of the Premiership is marked by such a thunderous clash between two title contenders.
Rugby doesn’t always make a virtue of promoting its box-office assets, but Saracens have managed to fill their home-from-home by trumpeting the head-to-head between recent England playmaker partners and rivals.
Farrell has stepped back from Test duties and is off to Racing 92 at the end of the season, but on a day when he will make a 250th appearance for his current club, the 32-year- old will be hell-bent on helping the champions take another significant step towards retaining their domestic prize.
His duel with Smith will be fascinating. The visitors’ fly- half missed the first three rounds of the Six Nations after suffering a calf injury, but hit the ground running on his return, with the drop goal which upset Ireland after a last-quarter cameo, then a longer, try- scoring stint at full back as England came within a minute of beating France in Lyon.
Not so long ago, Eddie Jones was trying to build a new back line around a creative alliance between Smith at 10 and Farrell at 12. Much has changed in the last 18 months, but the pair will know each other’s contrasting games very well and both will be desperate to out-do each other.
They will be surrounded by firepower. Saracens have England trio Ben Earl, Elliot Daly and Theo Dan in their starting XV while Jamie George is on the bench and Maro Itoje is rested. For Quins, Alex Dombrandt will try to win the gainline-busting battle with Billy Vunipola, Danny Care will partner Smith and Joe Marler will be tasked with unsettling the champions’ scrum.
Tomorrow, another high-profile contest is in prospect as Bath’s Finn Russell and George Ford of Sale face off at the Rec. The West Country fixture also boasts two midfield forces — Bath’s Ollie Lawrence and the man he has usurped as England’s hard-running centre, Manu Tuilagi.
While the latter wants to sign off in style with the Sharks before joining Bayonne in the summer, Lawrence has rejoined his club in high spirits after a superb last fortnight with England. ‘He was absolutely buzzing when he came back and he was absolutely on fire in training,’ said Bath head coach Johann van Graan.
‘You can see how confident he is after playing really well in the last two (Six Nations) games. Not everyone could score those tries he scored (for England) but he has the ability to do something special. We’re very proud of him.’
Lawrence joined Bath in the autumn of 2022 after the collapse of Worcester, and his form earned a swift Test recall and saw him go on to be named Premiership Player of the Year. Having had a bit-part role at the World Cup late last year, the 24-year-old was an imperious presence for Bath over the winter months.
‘He has been consistent and that’s the sign of a class player. Every week he plays, he’s at least eight out of 10,’ said Van Graan
Tuilagi is not directly opposite tomorrow — as he will wear 12 and Lawrence is at 13. But the pair will collide, no doubt, and it will be something to behold.
Sale will miss the departing centre, with director of rugby Alex Sanderson saying: ‘We’ll have a massive void to fill in terms of the energy that he gives, as well as his ability to bang. We want him to finish here with good memories.’