Owen Farrell is a man of many talents according to his teammate Mako Vunipola. In addition to leading England and being a world-class goal-kicker it now emerges he is good at barbecues. “He loves them,” Vunipola said. “He’s got a very nice one with a lot of compartments and you can control the temperature via his phone. Instead of being out there in the rain he can do it from inside.”
Sadly this clever technology is not yet on offer to international fly-halves on Saturday afternoons; if Farrell wishes to turn up the heat on Ireland at the Aviva Stadium he must do so in person. This fixture would be seriously difficult even if his father, Andy, was not the Irish defence coach. Given the family dimension and the ongoing scrutiny of his tackling technique, a major test of character awaits.
England braced for bruising epic as they seek to storm Ireland’s citadel | Robert Kitson
The Irish back row, in particular, will be less concerned about his favourite grilled meats – “He’s cooked me a beef brisket which was very nice,” reported Vunipola – than getting under his skin. This week the former Irish scrum-half Peter Stringer suggested Farrell was a “hothead” who would be targeted by the home team.
“I’ve played with him and he loves that physical side of things but you can get under his skin, you can rattle him,” Stringer said. “He is a guy they’ll be looking to get after.”
It remains one of rugby’s more striking contradictions that the man with the steadiest of assassin’s temperaments as a kicker can be found raging about some perceived injustice barely 30 seconds later. No one is suggesting the 27-year-old should take a monastic vow of silence but of late he has rubbed up more than one referee the wrong way.
On the eve of such an intense fixture, nevertheless, Farrell insists Stringer’s perception of him is slightly outdated. “I don’t know how long ago it is I played with Strings; it seems like a long time ago. I don’t know if he thinks I’ve not changed. He’s entitled to his opinion. I’m competitive, I’ll look to do my job on the field and that’s all that matters.”
If he was ever a hothead, in other words, the red mist is less frequent nowadays. “I can’t remember that person and I don’t need to. Everyone has changed, haven’t they? Everyone tries to get better, everyone tries to grow. I’m happy with how I am and the way things are going.” He is equally keen to emphasise that Celtic teams do not have a monopoly on passion. “It’s always a balance … being clear-headed but being aggressive and as combative as you need to be.”
Coming away from major venues in Ireland with a victory, even so, has not been an English speciality lately at Test or provincial level and Farrell accepts the visitors will have to keep cool. “It’s a passionate place with a passionate crowd and they’re a passionate team. You’ve seen from those big Munster nights and the big Leinster nights in Dublin how tough those places are to go. That probably says you need to get your start right, stick in the fight and take it to them. They’re a tough team and it’ll be a tough game but we can’t wait to play them.”
At least those English players who have previously worked under Farrell Sr have a fair idea of what is coming. Their Australian backs coach, Scott Wisemantel, has revealed the visitors have “tapped into” the experience of Steve Borthwick, who coached alongside Farrell on the 2017 Lions tour, but England’s backs also believe attack could be their best form of defence. “We want to come and fire some shots,” said the winger Jonny May. “We’ve been practising our gameplan for 10 days and we know what we want to do. Do we want to have a go at them? Of course we do.”