Owen is off to a real flyer
OWEN FARRELL had praise ringing in his ears as he headed off for England duty last night.
Not only did Farrell inspire Saracens to a 38-15 win over Gloucester, but he chose the perfect moment to hit top form.
His much-hyped fly-half clash with Danny Cipriani was always going to be heavily influenced by what happened in the forward battle.
But even allowing for the monstering that Saracens gave the visitors at the breakdown, Farrell was supremely good.
“Owen was incredibly influential. I thought he was brilliant,” said Sarries boss Mark McCall.
“It wasn’t just his skill set – his passing, his kicking. It was the physical tone that he set.”
Immaculate off the tee, Farrell also provided the assist for the first of Maro Itoje’s two tries with a pinpoint kick.
Gloucester’s gamble of playing first into the wind backfired as Sarries ruthlessly turned them over eight times to lead 24-3 at half-time.
So dominant were they that it was easy to forget Johan Ackermann’s side had brought an unbeaten record to Allianz Park.
Itoje put paid to that, following Dave Strettle’s early try with two decisive contributions to kill the contest before the break.
The humbling capped a miserable week for Cipriani three days on from his England snub.
But Ackermann said: “As far as England is concerned, he has had setbacks in his life before and he is taking it on the chin.”
JOE MARLER has withdrawn from England’s training camp for personal reasons, a day after being sin-binned in Harlequins’ latest defeat. Exeter’s Ben Moon takes his place.