England Rugby World Cup captain Owen Farrell boos explained before South Africa
Earl and England look ahead to Rugby World Cup semi-final
England captain Owen Farrell took to the field against Fiji after his name was booed by the team’s own supporters in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final victory. The skipper played a crucial role in defeating a spirited Fijian side, but whether it was enough to convince his detractors remains to be seen ahead of the semi with South Africa.
Farrell’s place in Steve Borthwick’s team was a contentious decision when the boss announced his squad to face Samoa, as the experiment of playing both the captain and George Ford together did not go as planned and one of them was facing the drop – with Ford delivered the brutal news
This came after the Salr star stepped up admirably to begin the World Cup as Farrell was suspended for the opening two pool stage games, as Ford knocked over 27 points after England had gone down to 14 men to defeat Argentina. However, Farrell was chosen over Ford and Borthwick may feel vindicated after the skipper’s impressive performance against Fiji.
Farrell will likely have been made aware of the booing fans who disagreed with his inclusion in Marseille. Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio was at the Stade Velodrome when he was made aware of boos from supporters, as he called out those against Farrell.
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“Sincerely hope no England fans were booing when Owen Farrell’s name was read out,” Dallaglio wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “You might not agree with his selection but he’s our captain and leader.”
After Farrell led England to the semi-finals, the team’s attack coach Richard Wigglesworth – who played with the captain at Saracens – made a passionate defence of the fly-half. “As ever, tallest trees catch the most wind, and he seems to catch a fair bit of it,” said Wigglesworth. “We are lucky to have him.
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“He has proven time and time and time again, and I don’t understand why in England we feel the need to not celebrate that, or not enjoy it, just because he is not sat in front of social media or media lapping all that up.
“He is incredibly serious about his career. He is an incredibly proud Englishman, he affects any team he is in, and he was brilliant for us, as we knew he would be. That was the maddening part of any noise – we knew what was coming.”
Whether those boos will ring around the stadium once again for England’s clash with South Africa remains to be seen, but Farrell will hope that he has proven his doubters wrong against Fiji and he can count on their support once again.
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