Andy Farrell: Negative reaction to Owen call-up is 'nonsense'

Andy Farrell believes the negative reaction to him calling up his son Owen to the British and Irish Lions squad is "nonsense".

Owen Farrell was drafted into the Lions' party after back Elliot Daly was ruled out of the remainder of the 2025 tour with the fractured arm he suffered in Wednesday's 52-12 win over Queensland Reds.

The former England captain is vastly experienced, winning 112 caps for his country and appearing 18 times for the Lions across the 2013, 2017 and 2021 tours.

However, he has not played for over two months since suffering a concussion while representing French side Racing 92, who flirted with relegation from the Top 14 and finished the season in 10th.

Two-time Lions tourist Dan Biggar responded by telling Sky Sports the call-up "doesn't really make sense", but Andy Farrell says his son has been drafted in on merit.

"I hope people can get past that. I think there's been a lot of that nonsense for some time, and I thought it was in the past," the Lions coach said.

"We all just need to move on and embrace what the Lions are all about and what we've got coming ahead.

"There are plenty of players that have not played Test matches for quite some time. There are plenty of players that missed Six Nations or had 12 weeks of not playing."

Good run out in Sydney today Tomorrow: Game Day #Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/lke1LQXK6p
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 4, 2025

Asked if Owen had any chance of featuring against New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday, in the fourth game of the tour, Andy said: "He's what we need for the squad with Elliot going.

"When you look at the experience Elliot had, it's not just the playing side, it's how you make the group feel, the little chats you have, and Owen will bring a lot of that into the group.

"Owen is fit, otherwise he wouldn't be picked. The guys have been keeping close touch with him and others in regard to that. He's been training fully for quite some time now."

The Lions have responded well to their opening defeat to Argentina, beating the Western Force and Queensland Reds while putting up half a century of points in each match since arriving in Australia.

Asked what he wanted to see in Sydney on Saturday, Andy Farrell said: "A bit more continuity, more putting things together.

"There's a bit of a stop-start nature with our outcomes. Having said that, I think it's getting better. I suppose there's always things to fix in every single game, but we've also been pleased with some of our progression."