English international fly-half Owen Farrell will join Racing 92 this summer for two seasons, the Ile-de-France Top 14 club announced on Monday. Farrell (32 years old, 112 caps), currently retired from the selection, has played since 2008 within from the English club Saracens. “Owen Farrell will be Racingman next season. No need to explain what a player who has 112 caps with England and who has won three Champions Cups can bring to our group,” explained Racing 92 president Laurent Travers to the newspaper L’Equipe. “He will inevitably help our young people to mature, as, before him, Dan Carter, Rémi Talès or Finn Russell brought to our young people from our training center, starting with Antoine Gibert,” added Travers.
Top scorer in the history of the XV de la Rose (1,237 points), the opener decided to take a break from his international career in order to recharge his batteries mentally the day after the World Cup, which finished in third place. Farrell was heavily booed by the supporters during this competition. As soon as he wears the Racing jersey, he will no longer be able to play for the selection due to the current eligibility criteria of the English Federation. Racing 92, current leader in the Top 14 ranking, has been led since this summer by Stuart Lancaster, former England coach (2011-2015), who gave Farrell his first cap. In Hauts-de-Seine, the former English captain will meet his compatriots Henry Arundell or the captain of the South African world champions Siya Kolisi.
