Dan Biggar has questioned the logic behind Owen Farrell’s surprise call-up to the British and Irish Lions squad, with the former Wales fly half claiming the decision “doesn’t really make sense”.
Farrell has been summoned to join the touring party in Australia after Saracens teammate Elliot Daly fractured his forearm against the Queensland Reds.
It is a bold call made by head coach Andy Farrell to call up his son to replace the versatile Daly, with the pair not like-for-like positionally. The Lions boss has hinted that Farrell’s capacity to cover 12 is valuable to a squad short on inside centre options, though there appears to be ample cover at fly half with all of Finn Russell, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith already among the 37 players Down Under.
While the 33-year-old’s competitive spirit and experience are undoubted, Farrell has not played for nine weeks and endured a difficult season at Racing 92 in the Top 14, with a number of injuries disrupting his campaign. He has not played at Test level since putting his England career on hold following the 2023 Rugby World Cup to prioritise his mental wellbeing.
Biggar toured with the Englishman on the 2017 and 2021 Lions trips and admits he was taken aback by the news.
“I have to say it seems like there's a lot of risk in this play and not a huge amount of reward," Biggar, who is working as a Sky Sports pundit in Australia during the tour, said.
"You've got Marcus and Fin Smith. Where do they feel like they sit in the pecking order now? When they close the bedroom door and go to bed and turn the lights off at night, what are they thinking?
"Are they thinking he is coming in to replace them? There's lots of options in those positions and it just feels like it doesn't really make sense and I think everybody is saying the same thing.
“I’m struggling to get to grips with the sense of it. No one's doubting that Owen is an amazing character, an amazing player in the career he's had. But he hasn't played Test rugby for over two years, hasn't played any form of rugby for the last couple of months and the person he's replacing [Daly], he doesn't play any of the same positions.”
Fin Smith will start for the Lions at fly half against the Waratahs on Saturday as the Lions continue their preparations for the three-Test series against the Wallabies. Farrell’s call-up means that he is set to feature on a fourth tour, with the playmaker expected to be available to feature against the Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday if selected.
