Owen Farrell says 'the time feels right' to leave Saracens for Racing 92

02/28/2024 01:15 PM

• Fly-half now unavailable for England until middle of 2026
• 'Saracens is a difficult place to leave. They have been fantastic'

Owen Farrell has insisted that "the time feels right" to swap England for France after breaking his silence on his move from Saracens to Racing 92 at the end of the season. Farrell conceded that it was a difficult decision to leave the club he joined 18 years ago but said he was excited by the move after Saracens finally confirmed his departure.

The move was announced by Racing in January but Saracens had not considered Farrell's departure a done deal until they had received a compensation fee of around €500,000 (£428,000) for the 32-year-old fly half, who had a year remaining on his current contract. Formalities have seemingly now been concluded, however, ensuring Farrell – who has signed a two-year deal with Racing – is officially unavailable for England selection until the middle of 2026 at the earliest because the Rugby Football Union does not allow Steve Borthwick to pick players based outside the country.