Share

Carter out to tame spiky Farrell

Lyon - Dan Carter has built up his reputation as the world's best flyhalf on the back of being able to demonstrate a cool hand in any situation thrown his way.

His opponent when Racing 92 line up against Saracens in the European Champions Cup final in Lyon's Grand Stade on Saturday will be England playmaker Owen Farrell, an altogether spikier character on the pitch.

"Opposites!" was Carter's take on any potential comparison between himself and Farrell, who has already amassed 40 caps for England at the age of 24.

"He loves getting in amongst us. I really like his competitive nature, the way that he gets stuck in. He's not the biggest guy but he's extremely physical and he works extremely hard to help his team get the win.

"That's what you want from your teammates, it's that competitive nature and he definitely has that."

Racing assistant coach Ronan O'Gara said homework will have been done on Farrell.

"He's the most improved player in Britain and Ireland over the last six months. He's a big threat now," the ex-Ireland flyhalf said.

Farrell is in fact coming back from a ban for a dangerous tackle in Saracens' semi-final win over Wasps and is not unused to seeing the referee's yellow card.

But the England player was one to watch out for a different reason, insisted Carter, Test rugby's highest points scorer after his 112 matches for the All Blacks.

"He's an outstanding goal kicker and has punished Racing on a few occasions in the past with his accurate goal kicking," the 34-year-old New Zealander said.

"I'm sure that'll be an important part of his game tomorrow as well. There're plenty of attributes to like about Owen."

Farrell has admitted he admired Carter's "calm and control". "He's been there and done it so many times," he said.

"People talked about whether he could do it or not going into the World Cup. That's not for me to take notice of, but a player of his class was always going to play like he did," said Farrell.

"It's just how calm he is, how much he is in control of what he does that stands out. Trying to be calmer on the pitch, it's definitely something I'm always trying to do.

"The more you're calm, the more you're in control and the more you're thinking about the right things. That's definitely something I've taken into account."

Farrell played down his fiery side, however, insisting it was just an aggressive approach to defence that he was keen to maintain.

"Rugby is a physical game and you have to play in a physical way. You can't be hesitant in what you do or you... end up in trouble yourself," said Farrell.

Given how close games between Racing and Saracens have been, both Carter and Farrell are sure to have key roles to play in the final.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2250 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE