Proof Owen Farrell has finally sorted out his tackle technique
Owen Farrell is known for a lot of things, but for most fans outside of England he is largely known for his sketchy tackle technique, with plenty of Test teams being on the receiving end of a dubious tackle at some point.
That reputation might well stay with him forever, but those that watch Saracens regularly will say that the England captain gets in far less trouble with his tackling than he used to. The trouble is for a player like Farrell, his aggressive defence is one of the key parts of his game.
A recent video shared online by Ross Hamilton shows that Farrell has clearly worked on the height of his tackles, but has remained as aggressive as ever. A reel of his tackles against Leicester Tigers at the weekend shows how he is still attacking the ball carrier’s upper body to put in a dominant hit, but he is now aiming for their core/ lower chest, rather than some (well, plenty) of his tackles in the past where it was basically shoulder to shoulder or worse.
Farrell even put in a few chop tackles for good measure, although there was one where he did not put in much effort to wrap his arms in the tackle. The thought of Owen Farrell tackling someone’s legs might seem farfetched for some, but it did genuinely happen.
Take a look:
I promise I’m not just doing Saracens players but 30 seconds here of Owen Farrell’s commitment in defence vs Leicester on Saturday…@btsportrugby @premrugby pic.twitter.com/eDV573H4Rz
— Ross Hamilton (@RosscoHamilton) October 3, 2022
Saracens ran away 51-18 winners at the StoneX Stadium against the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions, but it is their attack that is being praised at the moment rather than their defence.
Farrell’s England and Saracens teammate Elliot Daly recently talked about this attacking style the London side have adopted, and his relationship with the fly-half.
“Me and Faz have always had something and that was half the reason I came to this club,” Daly said.
“We have something together where if I ask for the ball he just gives it to me and vice versa. We see the game quite similarly which is quite good in terms of pushing our attack forward.
“It’s just a look between me and Faz, we understand what is going on. The rest of the backline are doing that as well which is brilliant.”
