Finn Russell has backed Owen Farrell to return to stardom with his old club Racing 92 and says he would love to play alongside the former England captain again for the British & Irish Lions next summer.
Scotland and Bath fly-half Russell wore the No. 10 shirt for Racing during his five years in French rugby. The number now belongs to Farrell, who has moved to the Top 14 from his boyhood club Saracens.
The two playmaking stars were part of the Lions’ 2021 South African squad, and Russell is eyeing a reunion in Australia in 2025.
Farrell’s move to Racing means he is not currently fit to play for England’s rugby union team, but he could still be a player for the Lions.
Farrell’s father Andy (currently Ireland national team manager) will oversee the 2025 Southern Hemisphere tour.
Finn Russell has helped Owen Farrell achieve success in France after joining Racing 92.
The move comes after the flyhalf said a tearful farewell to boyhood club Saracens in May.
“It’s a long league. I don’t think he’s used to the length,” Russell, a TNT Sports ambassador, said when asked about Farrell’s move to Racing.
‘You have to change your mindset. But I think (racing coach) Stuart Lancaster will manage the players differently than the French coach. Lancaster and Farrell already know each other and will get on really well. It depends on what their vision is and what the French vision is.
‘I think that’s where the clash could happen. Owen would be a great fit. I worked with him really well at the Lions in 2021. I’ve heard rumours that he’s really focused and intense, but I haven’t seen that at all. He’s been pretty calm. He’s laid-back.
‘I laughed with him. If he has that mentality in France, then it’s fine. I hope he can combine it all. I hope he learns the language, because that will help him a lot in terms of communication. If he can just speak English, it’s pretty easy.’
Farrell and Russell have been on two Lions tours together to New Zealand in 2017 and 2021. Farrell was a Test regular on both tours. Russell, meanwhile, was a late call-up in 2017 but has become a key figure four years later. With 11 months to go until the 2025 tour, the Scot should be a major contender for the Lions No.10 shirt now.
Russell knows the rigours of a Top 14 finish, having spent five seasons with Racing 92.
In 2021, Russell and Farrell played together for the Lions in a warm-up game, with Russell being the Englishman at inside centre. Russell believes a repeat in 2025 will be fruitful.
‘I think we look at the game differently, so there’s going to be a bit of a clash, but I think we can be good enough teammates. We can do well and find a middle ground,’ Russell said. ‘We’ll have to find a balance. But he’s a great player and I want to play with him. I don’t know if he’ll be there or not.
‘I don’t know if I’ll be there, but if I get the chance I’d love to race with him. Maybe he’ll come back to racing in a few years. Who knows?
‘We’ve always had an interesting relationship whenever we play against each other.
‘At first we were almost head-on but recently, even before the Lions, it has turned into a friendship. I remember laughing with him.
‘He shows how much he has loosened up his mindset. He’s still very focused and has a strong will to win, but maybe we’ve both changed as we’ve played more games together and talked a little bit off the pitch. Maybe we’ve developed that kind of relationship. I like him.’
Russell said he hoped the two players would be able to share the pitch as team-mates for the British and Irish Lions.
The Lions’ Australian tour will be the main event of the 2024-25 season, which begins next month. Tickets are already hard to come by, with thousands of UK fans desperate to make the trip after the 2021 tour was held behind closed doors due to COVID-19.
‘In 2017, we knew from the start that we were going to go out and play 10 midweek games and then come home. It was a different mindset,’ said Russell, who is still just 31.
‘I was there from the beginning in 2021. I loved that tour, even though it was COVID. It was an amazing experience, but if I could do it with the fans, that’s something I would really like to do. Having the fans would be a really different experience than the first and second tours I went on. Then it would be a full Lions tour.’
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