Andy Farrell: Because He Deserves a Tribute

It was four years too late to see his best.

The most maligned man in English rugby union for a period in 2007, Andy Farrell was not to blame for his near-disastrous start to his union career. A car accident followed by a toe-injury kept us from seeing anything of Farrell  fully fit for nearly 18 months after his transfer, and then no-one knew what to do with the man with one of the most complete skill sets in either code. He had not the time on his side to adjust to the demands of being a world class 7 nor the speed of his younger days to be an inside back.

Those who had never seen him frequently passed judgement, writing him off as another league failure when in reality his move occurred just too late in his career. For those that saw the Wiganer play in his prime, it is obvious that had Farrell made the code switch in the late nineties he would have walked into the England team and played pretty much anywhere he wanted other than the front row or wing. He was that good; Wigan captain at 18, GB captain at 21, 2 time Man of Steel, and the Golden Boot for the best player in the world the season before he switched codes. He turned out to be a decent player for Saracens at premiership level in the end, but it is for memories like this that I best remember Andy Farrell OBE.

Not even big Samoan Dom Feaunati wants anything to do with Faz after he has tasted one of his right hooks.