England have been dealt a huge blow as Owen Farrell will no longer be eligible to represent his country after agreeing to move to Racing 92. The French club, who are currently top of the Top 14 table, have confirmed the fly-half will be joining them from Saracens in the summer on a two-year deal.
Farrell is one of the best players to have ever represented England and has won 112 caps for the his country. And he holds the record for scoring the most Test points for England after racking up 1237 points during his international career.
Farrell has captained England since 2019 and skippered them at the 2023 Rugby World Cup as Steve Borthwick’s team reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions South Africa.
Following the World Cup, Farrell put his international career on hold, with his club side Saracens releasing a statement that read: “Owen Farrell has decided to take a break from international rugby in order to prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being. This means he will not be available for the 2024 Six Nations.”
That hiatus appeared to be temporary. But when Farrell eventually links up with Racing 92, he won’t be considered for England duty as the current selection criteria means that head coach Borthwick can only pick players who are currently playing in the Premiership.
The selection criteria has proved controversial over the years, with England potentially missing out on choosing players that may be able to add another dimension to the national team. And last year Borthwick suggested he would prefer to be less restricted when it comes to picking his squads.
“From my point of view I want to make sure we are able to select the greatest number of players possible”, he said last February. “And the best players possible. Do I want to make sure we have an England team where we have the best players available to us? Yes.”
Meanwhile, Premiership Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor previously explained: “Having our English players playing within the Premiership is important for England and for the Premiership. From the RFU’s, ours and even the players’ perspective, we all see the importance of England internationals playing domestically.
“Provisions exist for exceptional circumstances that will probably still carry on going forward, but we all agree England international players should be playing in the Premiership. There will always be an international market for players, and players have that choice to go abroad and not play for England.”
