Over 10,000 People Have Asked Google If Owen Farrell Could Play for Ireland
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Over 10,000 rugby fans have Google searched whether former England captain Owen Farrell could potentially swap nations and play for Ireland in the coming years.
Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!
This speculation likely arises from his father, Andy Farrell, coaching in Ireland and Owen’s original surname. To date, there have been thousands of searches asking ‘is Owen Farrell Irish?’ and other similar queries.
Andy Farrell has been married to his wife Colleen O'Loughlin since 1995.
The pair met as teenagers with the high school sweethearts have their first child Owen when Colleen has only just turned 17 years old.
As a result, Owen was not at first registered as a Farrell, but took mum Colleen's family name of O'Loughlin, which some will know is a famous name in rugby league circles.
The couple married in 1995, changing Owen's surname to Farrell the following year. They also have three other children, Elleshia, Gracie and Gabriel.
The surname O’Loughlin was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
However, although Farrell certainly has plenty of Irish DNA, he wouldn’t be able to play for Ireland as his Grandad Kieran O’Loughlin, who was a prominent rugby player in the 70’s and 80’s, was born in Wigan and not Ireland.
Under current rules, a player can change to a new country once, provided they or their (grand)parents were born in the new country. A stand-down period of three years applies and a transfer is subject to approval by the World Rugby Regulations Committee.
So is Owen Farrell Irish? Yes. Can Owen Farrell play for Ireland? Probably not.
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Eight Players Who Flopped in the Six Nations This Weekend
The second round of the 2025 Six Nations saw Italy defeat Wales 22-15 in Rome, England edge France 26-25 at Twickenham, and Ireland secure a dominant 32-18 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield.
Despite the thrilling action, several players underperformed. Here's a summary of the eight who struggled, with quotes from the key publications.
1. Finn Russell (Scotland)
- Rugby Pass 4.5/10: “Lost a couple of high hanging kicks… Forced off after 21 minutes following a head collision.”
- RUCK 5/10: “Couldn’t get his nation ticking in the early stages.”
- The Scotsman: “Limited impact on the game early on as Ireland took control.”
Verdict: Russell was underwhelming, leaving Scotland on the back foot from the start.
2. Jonny Gray (Scotland)
- Rugby Pass 5/10: “Struggled to make an impact and was replaced early in the second half.”
- Planet Rugby 5/10: “A few good moments in the set-piece, but nothing substantial.”
Verdict: Gray was largely ineffective and couldn't contribute to Scotland's fightback.
3. Antoine Dupont (France)
- Rugby Pass 5/10: “Had a few sloppy passes and missed a try-scoring chance.”
- Mail Online 6/10: “Far from his best but still involved in setting up tries.”
Verdict: Dupont's usual brilliance was lacking, and he struggled with errors that disrupted France's rhythm.
4. Josh Adams (Wales)
- RUCK 3/10: “Butchered two try-scoring opportunities and got a yellow card.”
- Planet Rugby 4/10: “Missed two huge chances, lucky to escape a red card.”
- Wales Online 4/10: “Butchered two easy try-scoring chances and received a yellow card.”
Verdict: Adams' poor decision-making and missed opportunities overshadowed his performance.
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