THEFAZ SHOW
Dad and son collide in Slam battle and Owen’s England insist they know what Andy will do
IT IS Farrell versus Farrell again for the Grand Slam and this time England believe they hold the edge.
A year ago Ireland denied England the clean sweep in Dublin after defence coach Andy inspired the host nation to shut out an attack spearheaded by his son Owen. Twelve months on the roles are reversed. England have home advantage and two defeats and Ireland are champions out to complete the slam. The size of England’s task multiplied last night with the emergence of a year-old video in which Eddie Jones brands the Irish “scummy” and promises revenge in Saturday’s fixture for last year’s loss. T h e deposed champs also went back on an earlier injury bulletin declaring captain Dylan Hartley and wing Eliot Daly fit to play – delaying a decision on their participation until today. But flanker James Haskell (below) insists Owen will be unaffected by the family head-to-head and England go in with confidence as “we have intimate knowledge of what Andy brings.”
Knowing what is coming and being able to get on top of it are two different things, as England proved in Paris last weekend. And with Nathan Hughes and Courtney Lawes each ruled out yesterday for the rest of the season, buildups have been better.
But they have convinced themselves that forewarned is forearmed when it comes to the Farrell factor.
“I know a lot of things Andy does because we worked together at Saracens,” said defence coach Paul Gustard.
“He has also worked with the boys here both with England and with the Lions. Psychologically we know where his head space is at and in terms of defensively, how he organises and sets up a team we know because we have eight or nine games of footage.”
The defiant tone continued with Gustard insisting: “We’ve conceded the second fewest points and second fewest tries. We’re not in disarray.” Central to Saturday’s outcome is how Farrell fares against his dad’s defence, and Haskell has backed him to come up trumps.
“From what I see in Owen this is purely business,” he said. “Everything he does is England-based. I don’t think he gets caught up in the stuff outside of it, however hard that might be.
“Andy is a world-class coach who always gets his boys on the edge. “He speaks well, motivates very well, demands big line speed, big acceleration and physical contact. But Owen has inherited that passion and abrasiveness.
“He is definitely his father’s son.”