Owen Farrell cut a lonely figure as he strolled through Franklin’s Gardens, applauding the Fans, most of whom were supporting Northampton. And here’s the thing, they applauded him back.
A cacophony of boos greeted each of his entries during the previous Premier League semi-final, except for the stunned silence for a few flashes of brilliance from the man who had launched two tries for Saracens in the second half.
But after reaching the Final safely after their 22-20 victory on Friday, their faithful finally felt moved to pay tribute to a player who has always shared the opinion, but who will now leave these shores for France as one of the greatest In England.
That Farrell ran in the playoffs in the first place, let alone that he had just played his last starring role for Saracens, was an achievement in itself. Sarries Director of Rugby Mark McCall revealed Farrell had been “on one leg” all week. He had suffered a small tear in a Quad during Monday’s training. His participation was doubtful until the heat-up in which he did not participate. He handed the kicking duties for the Match to Elliot Daly.
“He wasn’t going to kick at all,” McCall said. “He might have kicked two right kicks, but he didn’t want to. It’s awesome for him in his last game with Saracens to do this for the team.”
awesome too, how far Saracens would go to put him on the pitch. Incredible that he managed 12 tackles, the second best in the ranks of Saracens after the tireless Juan Martín González; incredible how he made stupid and broke and measured a perfect chip, one of those two kicks he made with his right foot throughout the match, for Saracens’ first attempt by Alex Lewington,
It was the feeling of the end of an era. The Vunipola brothers, Mako and Billy, also said goodbye. If the result had been different, it would have been Courtney Lawes, Alex Waller and Lewis Ludlam from Northampton who would have said goodbye. As it is, they said goodbye to Franklin’s Gardens before marching to Twickenham next Saturday for one last hurrah.
“We are all very emotional,” McCall said of Saracens’ outgoing players. “They were incredible for the club. They have made lifelong friends and have had wonderful, wonderful times over the years. It’s been a hell of a journey over the last 10 to 15 years.
“If you had seen Mako on his first day with Saracens, you wouldn’t have thought that he would have three Lions tours and about 60 caps for England. Even with Billy.
“Everyone always thought Owen was destined for great things, but he also needed time. Seeing them evolve as human beings over the years has been great. I just feel lucky and blessed to have been here when you were.”