Saracens coach Joe Shaw has given an Owen Farrell injury update

Saracens head coach Joe Shaw has delivered an update on how England skipper Owen Farrell has got down to the business of his latest rehabilitation period following his second ankle operation this winter. Originally injured in the mid-series November Test match against Australia, the 30-year-old was on course for a club comeback on January 23 versus London Irish in the Challenge Cup. 

Farrell had been named just days earlier by Eddie Jones to lead the England 2022 Guinness Six Nations squad but the plan that he would return to the national team fold for their Brighton training week was scuppered when it emerged that the captain had suffered a serious injury to his other ankle on the Saracens training ground. 

That prevented him from making his club return against the Irish and it was confirmed by Jones on January 26, on the morning of the Six Nations media launch, that Farrell was having an operation that same day and would miss the entire championship.  

“Owen is out of the Six Nations,” said Jones at the time. “It’s a massive blow for him personally and for the team, it’s a blow… I’m not a doctor but I would imagine the injury rebab is going to be similar to his previous injury.”

It is. Saracens confirmed later that Wednesday that Farrell’s recovery period had been “estimated at eight to ten weeks until his return to action” and head coach Shaw, who has become the club’s figurehead in recent weeks in the absence of director of rugby Mark McCall, gave an update at this week’s club media briefing on how the injury rehab is going for Farrell three weeks after his operation.

“Owen had his operation a few weeks ago and is around our environment and just going through his procedure,” explained Shaw. “One thing you know with Owen is whatever he does he does to the best of his ability, so at the minute he is head down and doing his rehab. He has been brilliant around the organisation with the individuals and meetings and stuff, so he is still very much a part of what we are trying to do to move forward.”

An eight-week layoff would leave Farrell returning to the mix the same week of the high-profile March 26 Saracens game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium versus Bristol in the Gallagher Premiership. In the meantime, it has been speculated that Farrell could potentially give a hand coaching his team.  

“Well, when he decides to be a coach, if that is the area he moves down, he is going to be very, very good at it,” said Shaw.