Owen Farrell's new, 'permanent' Saracens role

Owen Farrell has been named Saracens captain on a permanent basis to fill the vacancy created by Brad Barritt’s departure from StoneX Stadium.

The England skipper has made 201 appearances since his debut for the club in 2008 and will be at the helm for their campaign for an immediate return to the Gallagher Premiership.

“Owen has been at the heart of the Saracens project from a young age and his leadership has been key to any success we have had,” director of rugby Mark McCall said.

“Owen cares deeply about the club and his team-mates. He has a unique ability to inspire those around him, both by what he does and what he says.

“He is thoughtful, insightful and modest, but at his core he’s a competitor who will never stop trying to improve. He pushes everyone here to be better.”

Farrell has recovered from the concussion sustained against Ireland in the Guinness Six Nations and is expected to lead Saracens in Sunday’s Green King IPA clash with Bedford.

“It’s a massive honour, a big privilege,” he said. “This club’s been a massive part of my life for a long time now and to be asked to be captain is a massive privilege.

“There are a lot of people who are engrained in this place, who know exactly what it’s all about and they’re the ones that drive it every day and the ones that know the standards that we set.

“There’s a lot of care around the place and that is shown in a lot of ways; driving each other, being honest with each other, supporting each other and that’s massive when it comes to working in the same place every day.

“When I think of all the good captains that I’ve been lucky enough to be under is that they’ve been themselves. They’ve learnt a lot but they’ve been themselves throughout and it’s important to be authentic.”