England skipper working hard to emulate his hero Tom Brady
OWEN Farrell is using NFL legend Tom Brady as a chief influence in his desire to become the game’s best No10 and leader.
The England captain admits he is inspired by the way New England Patriots star Brady has managed to enjoy so much success during his time as the No1 quarter-back, and by the way he controls the big, pressure moments in a game.
Brady, 41, showed once again he is the man for the big occasions as he led the Pats to their sixth Super Bowl against Los Angeles Rams last weekend.
And Farrell knows that come the World Cup in Japan later this year, the heat may well be turned up on him as England’s captain and fly-half to produce the goods.
The 27-year-old Saracen said: “You can always be intrigued by the best sportsmen around, and Brady is someone that has been at the top for a very long time. In that regard I have always taken a massive interest in him.
“To win all those Super Bowls and be the key man in that team shows the kind of hungry, driven and determined character he is. “He expects the very best from his team-mates, but knows he has to earn that respect and commitment by performing to a very high standard himself. “He is very in control and very calm under the pressure. He is very ready – not just ready for what he thinks will be in front of him, ready for anything. “Top sportsmen are always gauged by what they achieve in the game, and for how long. Well Brady is clearly right up there with all the world’s most successful performers.” Farrell would love to add another Six Nations title, and possibly Grand Slam, to his already impressive CV, but he insists the only thing he is focused on is today’s crucial clash with France at Twickenham. He says: “The win in Ireland was the perfect start to this Six Nations for us but last week is done and now history. The next game is always the most important one. The game with France is massive. “Obviously we reviewed Dublin and saw what we did well and why, which is important in knowing what we can get better at and what we can take into this week.
“We have done our analysis of France and now it is about building up so that emotionally we get it right come Sunday.
“The most important thing is that we have an influence by the way we play, how we execute our game plan.
“Of course it is never going to be perfect and there will always be times where France get what they want but we have got to make sure when we are in control of the tempo that we play at the pace we want to.”