During Gallagher Premiership Rugby coverage, TNT Sports pundits Stuart Hogg, Ugo Monye and Chris Robshaw all weighed in with their thoughts following the shock announcement that England captain Owen Farrell will step back from international rugby to protect his and his family’s mental well-being. Farrell is still eligible for club selection, but has ruled himself out of the 2024 Six Nations.
Pundits Stuart Hogg, Chris Robshaw, and Ugo Monye of TNT Sports have shown their support for England captain Owen Farrell, who made the decision to resign from his position as captain this week.
Fly-half for Saracens In an announcement made public by his team on Wednesday, Farrell, 32, emphasized that he was making this decision “in order to prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being.”
Playing in a variety of backline positions, Farrell has 112 caps for his nation and leads England in scoring when playing on the international scene.
However, during the World Cup in France, he was the target of jeers, with Saracens manager Mark McCall branding the
treatment he has received “shameful” and calling out some members of the media for creating a “social media pile on”.
Ahead of the Gallagher Premiership Rugby clash between Harlequins and Sale Sharks match, live on TNT Sports from the Stoop, former Scotland full-back Hogg said he felt “desperately sad” for Farrell and his family.
“I’m a massive believer in if you get the best person, you get the best rugby player,” said Hogg.
“Owen, being the leader and fierce competitor that he is, has taken a massive decision to concentrate on himself which is admirable, but it’s also selfless at the same time because he wants to give the best he can for his team, and does he really think he’s going to be at his best? Potentially not.
“I’m gutted for him because for me as a rugby fan, I want to see the best players in the best tournaments. That’s Owen Farrell, captain of England, captaining the side in the biggest tournament that I believe there is.
“It’s desperately sad for him because he’s a quality player and there’s an unfair narrative around [him], if I’m being brutally honest. Like everything in life now, you can do 95% of things spot on, and you’re judged on the 5% of things you’re working on or could potentially do better. That’s unfair.
“I really do feel for him because I know him as a person and as a player.
The perception of him is a tough competitor; an absolute legend, leader of the game. Off the field, he’s an absolute gentleman.
He’s there to share and make coffees for the boys, have glasses of wine with everybody, being in and amongst all the craic.
“I’m gutted for him and wish him all the very best because I want to see him playing his best rugby possible.”
Robshaw, a former England captain himself, also gave his thoughts on Farrell’s situation: “It’s huge. As captain ofThere’s always that one individual on any team who takes the good and the bad.”According to Mark McCall, the story surrounding this scenario is crucial when analyzing the circumstance. It’s one thing for pundits and journalists to critique performances, but it’s quite another to create a story around something else.
“We must keep in mind that Owen Farrell has been among England’s finest players each and every week for the past 12 years. He scores more points than anyone else in England, including Jonny Wilkinson. It’s quite remarkable, yet for some reason he refuses to go to the media or provide them with the answers they want.
to hear – the right sound bites – they spin that a bit and then other people can jump on that, unfortunately.
“He’s been brilliant for England, and he’ll be a huge loss, and it’ll be interesting to see now that a lot of players nearly disliking to be captain. They just want to go play rugby, and I found it almost incredibly relieving when I lost my captaincy of England.”Of course, I thought that was wonderful and terrible, but eventually you [regain] your focus, and we might even witness Owen in that circumstance in the future, when he returns and finds delight in rugby once more.”
England’s 14-time cap winner Monye stated: “It’s strange and almost depressing in the same way that it’s probably taken a bit of a deep breath and a ‘I don’t have to deal with that anymore.'” Handle what? Being the captain of England is something he’s dedicated his
“That’s the [mis]fortune of circumstances that we find ourselves in. It’s such a shame to find a person that loves the game so much, over the last few months figuring and finding out through narratives that have been created through insults on social media suggesting that the game hasn’t loved him as much as he has for putting himself in that situation.
“What’s happening in someone’s life and how long he’s had to bear this load is something that none of us ever know.
In addition, you are unaware of the effects it has on the larger community since, although Owen Farrell is well-known, he is also a husband and father. He will undoubtedly prioritize his family if that detrimental effect is having an effect on them.
“I’ve witnessed a number of instances where people are’sorry,’ which is wonderful, but hidden behind that’sorry’ is some guilt in some people’s talks about things they may have
He added: “Hopefully everyone’s reflected over it in the words he’s used and the actions he’s taken, but you have to take responsibility for your actions and intentions. You must find balance in that situation if your goal is to spark a discussion but the outcome is piling on. In the end, nobody comes out on top in this really challenging position.”
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