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Owen Farrell (left) and father Andy, who is in charge of the Lions this summer
It is the 79th minute of the third Test in Sydney, and the British and Irish Lions are trailing by two points in the series decider against Australia. The Lions have just been awarded a penalty, from the right-hand touchline, to win their first series in 12 years, and only their fourth since the tour of South Africa in 1974.
The burning question is: which player would most Lions supporters back to handle the pressure of the moment, with seven weeks of toil at stake and the overwhelming expectation of four nations resting on his shoulders?
Finn Russell? Fin Smith? Marcus Smith? Sam Prendergast? Jack Crowley? Gareth Anscombe? Ben Thomas? George Ford? Blair Kinghorn? All fine kickers on their day, but all of whom have had their wobbles under pressure.
No, the answer has to be Owen Farrell. I was fortunate enough to have been in Wellington to witness Farrell kick four penalties in the driving rain to clinch an historic victory over the All Blacks to send the series into a decider in Auckland.
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Owen Farrell kicks a penalty for the Lions in Auckland on the 2017 tour - Getty Images/David Rogers
It is remembered for the birth of the “Oh, Maro Itoje” chant to the tune of the Seven Nation Army song, when the England lock delivered a coming-of-age performance as the Lions sought to save the tour. But the reality is that it was – as one seasoned observer described as having ice in his veins – Farrell who delivered the killer blow.
His kicking under the most intense pressure imaginable remains one of the most stand-out moments of all the Lions tours I have covered, including the Brian O’Driscoll try against Australia in Brisbane in 2001.
And when it came to snatching an unlikely draw the following weekend at Eden Park, it was Farrell again who landed the crucial penalty; his fourth of the game.
Farrell may have stepped away from international rugby in the wake of the 2023 World Cup in France, but that was for personal reasons. He has also seen his season at Racing 92 so far severely disrupted by a groin injury.
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Farrell returned to the Racing 92 line-up last weekend - Getty Images/Franco Arland
But the 33-year-old made his first appearance since January last Saturday in Racing’s 23-21 win over Clermont Auvergne and, if he is able to put together a string of performances between now and the Lions squad announcement on May 8, he has to come into the reckoning.
The fact his father Andy is the Lions head coach should not and would not come into the matter. The pair have been working in professional sport together long enough to know that such decisions are only ever taken if they are considered best for the team.
As Farrell senior rightly insisted at the announcement of his Lions coaching team in London on Wednesday, his only obligation is to pick the best of the best. The Lions, if nothing else, has to be a meritocracy, leaving behind the bad old days of horse-trading between the four home unions.
There are of course many other factors at play here, such as how many fly-halves Farrell snr intends to take. But Owen Farrell has the added string to his bow that he can provide cover at inside centre, which would allow the Lions to take two other 10s as well.
Lions should heed lesson of ‘clutch-kicker’ Steyn
Farrell, who has 112 caps for England, would also bring the experience of three Lions tours; of the players involved in the Six Nations this season, only Taulupe Faletau can match that tally. And he would drive standards in training, as his sheer presence in the England squad used to do.
It might remain a long shot, given that he has stepped away from the Test scene, needs to reassert his form and only has six weekends left to prove he should be in the mix. But such is his body of work as a Test-match animal, that is far from fanciful.
Given the callowness of the likes of Prendergast, Crowley and Fin Smith, and Finn Russell’s moments of flakiness – he has previously handed over the kicking duties to Ben Spencer at Bath – Farrell ticks many boxes. He, unlike Kinghorn because of Top 14 play-off commitments, is also likely to be able to travel when the Lions depart for Australia in June.
Those in doubt only need to look to South Africa, the double world champions, for evidence of the importance of having an inspirational “clutch kicker” when a Lions series is on the line.
It was Morne Steyn’s long-range penalty that clinched a 2-0 series victory for the Springboks over the Lions in Pretoria on the 2009 tour, and 12 years later, at the age of 37, he returned as the tourists’ nemesis to land the decisive kick in the third Test in Cape Town four years ago. A fit and hungry Farrell could be a major asset for the Lions.
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