Would Adding a Player Like Owen Farrell Make England a Better Prospect for Bettors?
Despite rugby union and league both being hugely popular in the UK, there are few players that play both variants of the sport. Indeed, since 1896, there have only been 23 dual-code England internationals, with the most recent being Sam Burgess in 2007.
In a recent interview, England rugby league captain Sam Tomkins said he believed that Owen Farrell was “the best rugby league player of the last ten years,” despite having never played. He said he’d love to see him move from union to league. If Farrell did make the switch, would England have a better chance in major competitions?
England Eliminated from Yet Another World Cup
England went into the latest rugby league World Cup with a strong side and were placed among the favourites in the rugby league World Cup betting to go all the way. However, they were way behind Australia in the bookies’ odds, with the Kangaroos going into the tournament as odds-on favourites at 1/3.
People who stake on the major rugby league tournaments may have learnt now that it’s unwise to bet on England. The Wall of White always shows promise but then ultimately ends up bowing out in the latter stages of the competition. This is highlighted by the fact that they have never won the ultimate competition but have finished as runners-up on three separate occasions in 1975, 1995, and 2017. They have also crashed out at the semi-final stage four times.
Sam Tomkins Wants Farrell to Make the Switch
England captain Tomkins recently confessed his admiration for his union counterpart in an in-depth interview. He spoke of how he believes that Farrell has all the attributes that would make him the best rugby league player that England has seen in the last decade. He also has a firm belief that he could be a difference-maker for the Three Lions and would give them the added strength they need to compete at the top.
Farrell hasn’t confirmed that he has any intention of moving codes yet, but interviews like this will doubtlessly spur him on. If it happened, it could be a monumental event for English rugby, and one of the highest-profile switches of all time.
Time for a New Challenge for Farrell?
There is a chance that Farrell could decide to make the switch to league at some point, as his father also participated in both codes during his playing days. Andy was a rare breed of player who was a dual-code international, playing league from 1991 to 2004, and then union for the remainder of his career. Owen could opt to go the opposite way, after having plied his trade in union up to now.
Farrell has broken various records in union and accrued a vast number of accolades already. At the age of 31, it could be the perfect time for him to switch and take on a new code. It could be a major boost for the England league team to have a player like Farrell in the line-up and could boost their chances at the next World Cup.
England need all the help they can get to make the step up and challenge for major honours on the world stage. Encouraging a player like Farrell to cross over would be a massive help in getting to a higher level.
