Owen Farrell has been handed a sensational late call-up to the British and Irish Lions squad during their tour of Australia.
The former England captain’s addition by father and head coach Andy Farrell was confirmed on Thursday, during the official squad announcement for Saturday’s clash with the New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney.
Owen Farrell - who will join the squad in Sydney on Friday - has been named as a replacement for Saracens team-mate Elliot Daly, who was injured during the Lions’ 52-12 thrashing of the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Wednesday and will play no further part on the tour.
Daly was drafted into the team late at Suncorp Stadium to start at full-back after an illness suffered by Hugo Keenan, only just recovered from a calf problem, but was forced off in the second half after sustaining an injury to his forearm while attempting to make a tackle.
All set for his fourth Lions Tour, Owen Farrell will join the squad in Sydney! 🦁#Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/uSN79obHk0
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 3, 2025
The versatile England back looked in considerable pain as he received initial treatment on the pitch and then had the area heavily iced on the bench.
Daly subsequently underwent an X-ray and it has now been confirmed that he suffered a fractured forearm that will sideline him for the rest of the tour.
He is the second player ruled out of the remainder of the tour in a matter of days after Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams flew home following a hamstring injury suffered while scoring his second try in Saturday’s opener against the Western Force in Perth, with Scotland’s Ben White arriving as a replacement.
The Lions also lost the services of Scottish prop Zander Fagerson to a calf issue ahead of the tour, while the likes of Ireland captain Caelan Doris were unavailable for selection due to injury.
Like Williams, the injury to tour veteran Daly is significant for the Lions after both players stated strong early claims for involvement against Australia in the three-Test series that starts in Brisbane on July 19.
Andy Farrell has replaced Daly with son Owen, who missed out on selection for the initial 38-man touring squad after a disappointing, injury-plagued lone season in France with Racing 92.
However, there remained plenty of speculation that the 33-year-old - who received a great reception from Lions fans while on punditry duties for Sky Sports during the 1888 Cup loss to Argentina in Dublin - could be a contender to be called up at a later date.
“It is heartbreaking for the group that Elliot’s tour is over,” Andy Farrell said. “He is a Lions legend who has added so much to the group on and off the field over the past few weeks and over the course of three Tours. Owen will now come in and add to our options and bring his own Lions experience to the group.”
Owen Farrell’s significant experience and positional versatility - he can play either at fly-half or in the centres - made him a strong candidate for involvement, having earned 112 England caps and previously been involved in each of the Lions tours of 2013, 2017 and 2021 under Warren Gatland, making 19 appearances in total and starting every Test of the drawn series in New Zealand eight years ago.
Owen Farrell recently returned to Saracens - where he previously spent 16 years - on a two-year contract after only a year in France, while he has not played for England since stepping back from international rugby in the aftermath of the 2023 World Cup in order to “prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing”.
