Rugby YouTuber Andrew Forde has put together a seven-minute montage of England fly-half Owen Farrell backchatting to referees on the pitch.
The 30-year-old has 94 Test caps to his name alongside a poor reputation among fans for voicing his opinions too much towards referees at both club and international level.
Farrell has captained Saracens and England on a number of occasions and is widely regarded as a world class operator, however the following video exposes the less popular side to his game.
One example in the video comes from this year’s Six Nations game against Italy, which former international referee Nigel Owens criticised Farrell for in a Daily Mail column.
“There was too much chat from him to the referee,” said Owens, who in 2020 became the first person to referee 100 Test matches. “That must stop… He never did that with me. Every time I referee, I tell the players that there is a time and a place for a conversation.
“If they want to discuss something, they have to do it in the right manner. That is one of the game’s values.
“I never have any issues with Owen. Whenever I reffed him, he was always polite. He knew where the line was and never crossed it. That shows he can do it.
“It is up to the referees to keep strong and stay on top of things like that. We don’t want to see it creeping in.”
Farrell is currently the second highest points scorer in English rugby history behind Jonny Wilkinson and fifth in terms of appearances.
He’s also earned six Test match caps across three separate British & Irish Lions tours and with more than 200 games for Saracens alongside multiple Premiership and European titles, the Wigan-born playmaker is a true legend of modern rugby.
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