Andrew Farrell
Encyclopedia
Andrew D. 'Andy' Farrell OBE
(born 30 May 1975 in Wigan
) is an English former professional dual-code rugby football
er of the 1990s and 2000s. A goal-kicking forward in rugby league
, he captained the Great Britain team
and his club, Wigan
, with whom he won several championships and Challenge Cup
titles as well as a range of individual awards between 1991 and 2004. Transferring to rugby union
, he played for the Saracens club from 2005 to 2009 and was selected to represent England on eight occasions.
, Wigan
's captain at the time. After developing with local club Orrell St James, he made his first team debut for his home town club Wigan
at the age of 16, in a 1991 Regal Trophy
match against Keighley
. He went on to become the youngest player to win a Challenge Cup
final in 1993 when at 17 years and 11 months he came on as a substitute against Widnes. Farrell then became a full international by 18, making his debut against New Zealand later in 1993.
After the 1993–94 Rugby Football League season Farrell travelled with defending champions Wigan
to Brisbane, playing at second-row forward in their 1994 World Club Challenge
victory over Australian premiers, the Brisbane Broncos
. He rates this as one of his greatest achievements in rugby league.
In July 1996 Farrell was appointed Wigan's captain and later that year became the youngest-ever skipper of the Great Britain team
at 21 years and 4 months, leading the Lions on a tour of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. In October that year he won the prestigious Man of Steel award.
In the 1997 post season, Farrell was selected to captain Great Britain
at stand-off half back in all three matches of the Super League Test series
against Australia.
Farrell made 34 appearances for Great Britain
and also represented England in two World Cups. Farrell won 5 Championships and 4 Challenge Cups with Wigan, picking up the 1998 Super League and 2002 Challenge Cup as captain.
In 2001 Farrell set the Wigan club's record for most points in a season with 429. He is only the second player to score more than 3,000 points in all competitions at Wigan
. He celebrated his Testimonial match
in 2002, and won the Golden Boot
as the best player in the world in 2004, the Man of Steel Award twice, and the Players Player Award. In 2004, now Britain's oldest international, he was selected to play for Great Britain in the 2004 Tri-nations.
Farrell was inducted into the Order of the British Empire
for services to the game in the New Year's list of 2004.
As of September 2008, with 33 goals, Farrell is second in the list of England's all-time goal scorers (behind George Fairbairn
), with 78 points he is 2nd in the list of England's all-time point scorers (behind George Fairbairn
).
to take on a new challenge with Saracens
and the Rugby Football Union
. A series of injuries and accidents (including a car crash) meant that his debut in the 15-man code was delayed until 2006.
Despite his achievements in rugby league
, questions were asked regarding his ability to change to a different sport at a relatively old age along with doubts about how much surgery he needs on his knees. There has also been some criticism of the sum England head coach Andy Robinson was willing to pay for such a perceived risk, and whether such a substantial amount of RFU money could not be better spent elsewhere.
He finally made a try scoring debut, for Saracens reserves, on 11 September 2006. He then made his first team debut against Newcastle Falcons
on 17 September 2006 as a replacement. On both occasions, he played as blind-side flanker. A row then broke out about his best position: the England management suggested he should be playing in the centre whilst Saracens continued to play him as a flanker. However, he went on to play primarily at centre for the Saracens first team and again when selected to play for a World XV against South Africa.
He was selected as a part of the England Elite squad by new coach Brian Ashton, for the 2007 Six Nations. He was seen by some to be the main contender for the starting inside centre position, after England's problems in that position during the 2006 Autumn Internationals.
Farrell made his England debut at Twickenham
after he was named at inside centre in the first Six Nations game against Scotland.
On 28 September 2007, he scored his first try for England in rugby union against Tonga
in the 2007 World Cup pool match.
The 2007 World Cup
saw Farrell playing in the unfamiliar position of fly-half against South Africa, in England's chastening group stage defeat. He was then brought on as a replacement against Tonga in his more usual position of inside centre, and brought greater solidity to the midfield defensively, capping his impressive contribution with his first England try. However, after being picked for the quarter-final decider against Australia, he had to withdraw with a calf injury. Unfortunately, he never produced the performances in England colours which many, notably Robinson, had hoped for and ultimately won only 8 caps.
In January 2008, Farrell was joined at Saracens by his 16-year-old son Owen Farrell
, who signed a three-year academy deal with the club.
In August 2008, Farrell was named co-captain for the 2008/09 season along with Steve Borthwick
.
There have been strong links with Farrell returning to Rugby League to rejoin Wigan Warriors after it emerged that Saracens head coach Eddie Jones has become unhappy with the way the club's direction is heading. It was rumoured that Jones and Farrell could be moving up north with the Warriors becoming increasingly inpatient with out of favour Brian Noble
especially after Warriors poor start the season, however this proved to be unfounded with the Warriors instead hiring Melbourne Storm
assistant coach Michael Maguire
In April 2009, Farrell announced his retirement and said he was taking up a coaching role with Saracens at the end of the current season.
Super League record at Wigan Warriors 1996–2004
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 30 May 1975 in Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
) is an English former professional dual-code rugby football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
er of the 1990s and 2000s. A goal-kicking forward in rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, he captained the Great Britain team
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and his club, Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
, with whom he won several championships and Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
titles as well as a range of individual awards between 1991 and 2004. Transferring to rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, he played for the Saracens club from 2005 to 2009 and was selected to represent England on eight occasions.
Rugby league
Farrell first played rugby league at age 10 at a summer camp run by Graeme WestGraeme West
Graeme Leonard West is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer and coach. Standing at six-foot, five inches, he played in the forwards, captaining English club Wigan...
, Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
's captain at the time. After developing with local club Orrell St James, he made his first team debut for his home town club Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
at the age of 16, in a 1991 Regal Trophy
Regal Trophy
The Regal Trophy was a knock-out competition for British rugby league football clubs between 1971 and 1996.It was initially for professional clubs with the exception of two amateur teams who were finalists of the BARLA National Cup...
match against Keighley
Keighley Cougars
Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. As of 2012 they will play in Co-operative Championship having won the Co-operative Championship 1 play off final 32-12 against Workington...
. He went on to become the youngest player to win a Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final in 1993 when at 17 years and 11 months he came on as a substitute against Widnes. Farrell then became a full international by 18, making his debut against New Zealand later in 1993.
After the 1993–94 Rugby Football League season Farrell travelled with defending champions Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
to Brisbane, playing at second-row forward in their 1994 World Club Challenge
1994 World Club Challenge
The 1994 MMI World Club Challenge was a replay of the 1992 World Club Challenge, with 1993–94 Rugby Football League season champions Wigan facing the 1993 NSWRL season premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, this time in Australia. Wigan were clearly the dominant club in the English game, having won the...
victory over Australian premiers, the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
. He rates this as one of his greatest achievements in rugby league.
In July 1996 Farrell was appointed Wigan's captain and later that year became the youngest-ever skipper of the Great Britain team
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
at 21 years and 4 months, leading the Lions on a tour of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. In October that year he won the prestigious Man of Steel award.
In the 1997 post season, Farrell was selected to captain Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
at stand-off half back in all three matches of the Super League Test series
Super League Test series
The Super League Test series was a three-Test match series between the Great Britain national rugby league team and Super League's Australian national team held during November 1997 in England...
against Australia.
Farrell made 34 appearances for Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and also represented England in two World Cups. Farrell won 5 Championships and 4 Challenge Cups with Wigan, picking up the 1998 Super League and 2002 Challenge Cup as captain.
In 2001 Farrell set the Wigan club's record for most points in a season with 429. He is only the second player to score more than 3,000 points in all competitions at Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
. He celebrated his Testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
in 2002, and won the Golden Boot
Rugby League World Golden Boot Award
The Rugby League World Golden Boot Award is a rugby league award handed out annually for achievements in rugby league by Rugby League World magazine...
as the best player in the world in 2004, the Man of Steel Award twice, and the Players Player Award. In 2004, now Britain's oldest international, he was selected to play for Great Britain in the 2004 Tri-nations.
Farrell was inducted into the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to the game in the New Year's list of 2004.
As of September 2008, with 33 goals, Farrell is second in the list of England's all-time goal scorers (behind George Fairbairn
George Fairbairn (rugby league)
George Fairbairn is a Scottish former rugby league footballer and coach. He played club football for Wigan, winning the Man of Steel Award in 1980. Fairbairn was also the fullback and goal-kicker for the Great Britain national team, however he represented the English national team several times,...
), with 78 points he is 2nd in the list of England's all-time point scorers (behind George Fairbairn
George Fairbairn (rugby league)
George Fairbairn is a Scottish former rugby league footballer and coach. He played club football for Wigan, winning the Man of Steel Award in 1980. Fairbairn was also the fullback and goal-kicker for the Great Britain national team, however he represented the English national team several times,...
).
Rugby union
On 24 March 2005, Farrell announced his retirement from rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
to take on a new challenge with Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
and the Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
. A series of injuries and accidents (including a car crash) meant that his debut in the 15-man code was delayed until 2006.
Despite his achievements in rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, questions were asked regarding his ability to change to a different sport at a relatively old age along with doubts about how much surgery he needs on his knees. There has also been some criticism of the sum England head coach Andy Robinson was willing to pay for such a perceived risk, and whether such a substantial amount of RFU money could not be better spent elsewhere.
He finally made a try scoring debut, for Saracens reserves, on 11 September 2006. He then made his first team debut against Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...
on 17 September 2006 as a replacement. On both occasions, he played as blind-side flanker. A row then broke out about his best position: the England management suggested he should be playing in the centre whilst Saracens continued to play him as a flanker. However, he went on to play primarily at centre for the Saracens first team and again when selected to play for a World XV against South Africa.
He was selected as a part of the England Elite squad by new coach Brian Ashton, for the 2007 Six Nations. He was seen by some to be the main contender for the starting inside centre position, after England's problems in that position during the 2006 Autumn Internationals.
Farrell made his England debut at Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
after he was named at inside centre in the first Six Nations game against Scotland.
On 28 September 2007, he scored his first try for England in rugby union against Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
in the 2007 World Cup pool match.
The 2007 World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
saw Farrell playing in the unfamiliar position of fly-half against South Africa, in England's chastening group stage defeat. He was then brought on as a replacement against Tonga in his more usual position of inside centre, and brought greater solidity to the midfield defensively, capping his impressive contribution with his first England try. However, after being picked for the quarter-final decider against Australia, he had to withdraw with a calf injury. Unfortunately, he never produced the performances in England colours which many, notably Robinson, had hoped for and ultimately won only 8 caps.
In January 2008, Farrell was joined at Saracens by his 16-year-old son Owen Farrell
Owen Farrell
Owen Farrell is a rugby union player currently playing for Guinness Premiership side Saracens. He is Andy Farrell's son.His primary position is centre, but he often plays flyhalf/centre...
, who signed a three-year academy deal with the club.
In August 2008, Farrell was named co-captain for the 2008/09 season along with Steve Borthwick
Steve Borthwick
Stephen William "Steve" Borthwick is an English rugby union footballer who plays lock for Saracens F.C....
.
There have been strong links with Farrell returning to Rugby League to rejoin Wigan Warriors after it emerged that Saracens head coach Eddie Jones has become unhappy with the way the club's direction is heading. It was rumoured that Jones and Farrell could be moving up north with the Warriors becoming increasingly inpatient with out of favour Brian Noble
Brian Noble (rugby league)
Brian 'Nobby' D. Noble is an English former rugby league footballer. Noble is also the former coach of the Great Britain National Rugby League team. He was also the captain of the 1984 Great Britain touring team to Australia...
especially after Warriors poor start the season, however this proved to be unfounded with the Warriors instead hiring Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
assistant coach Michael Maguire
Michael Maguire
Michael L. Maguire is an American actor, best known for his role as Enjolras in the original Broadway production of the musical Les Misérables. This role won him a Tony Award in 1987. It also won him a Drama Desk Award and a Theatre World Award...
In April 2009, Farrell announced his retirement and said he was taking up a coaching role with Saracens at the end of the current season.
Coaching career
Farrell was promoted to Saracens first team coach at the end of 2010 after impressing as skills coach.Record
Previous clubs: Orrell St. JamesSuper League record at Wigan Warriors 1996–2004
- Played – 368
- Tries – 77
- Goals – 1026
- Drop Goals – 16
- Points – 3135
External links
- Andy Farrell Wigan Career Page on the Wigan RL Fansite.
- Saracens profile
- England Rugby Union profile
- 2001 Ashes profile
- International Rugby League Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
- Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
- Frustration fuels Farrell return
- Commentry on Farrell's first International Union match
- Commentry on Farrell's first International Union match 2
- Farrell's record as captain of both England and Great Britain in Rugby League
- Andrew Farrell photo by sportingheroes.net
- Ashton resists temptation to clear decks