England captain Jamie George is a firm believer that his former team-mate Owen Farrell is the greatest rugby player of all time and is adamant that the fly-half has the stats to back up that claim.
The 15-year partnership between the hooker and the fly-half for both Saracens and England came to an end this summer with Farrell’s move to Racing 92 in the Top 14, closing the book on years of success in north London.
It is because of that success in both the black of Saracens and the white of England that George feels his former England captain is the GOAT.
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The 93-cap international expressed this view on Danny Care’s Hits Different podcast, where he said that Saracens would not have won anything without Farrell.
“I genuinely think who should be in the conversation is Owen Farrell,” George said when discussing rugby’s GOAT.
England
New Zealand
“I just think you’ve got to look at what he’s won, what he’s done in the game, I don’t know many other players that have done it domestically and internationally the way that he has.
“So he’s done six Prems, three Europeans, 112 England caps, however many as captain, three Lions tours.
“It’s just ridiculous really, and I can confidently say that Sarries wouldn’t have won anything if he wasn’t playing.”
The No 10 was recruited to the Parisian giants to emulate the kind of success he has enjoyed at the StoneX Stadium, but a question mark remains as to whether he will ever win more silverware with England, as the 33-year-old is currently ineligible to represent his country.
He may get a taste of international rugby again at the end of this season though, with the British & Irish Lions set to tour Australia, with Andy Farrell head coach.
Farrell is just one of the many world-class players George has played alongside in his career, and he believes plenty more are going to emerge for England.
The hooker highlighted his current England team-mate Tommy Freeman as a player who is close to being world-class and will ascend to that echelon in the near future.
The eleven-cap 23-year-old has established himself as one of England’s starting wings in 2024, although his captain believes he had not “pieced it together” earlier in his career. Things have changed though, and the Northampton Saint is now part of the young contingent spearheading this new-look England team under Steve Borthwick.
“He’s been around for quite a while but I think Tommy Freeman is close to being world-class,” George said on the podcast.
“He’s so lovable, he’s such a great guy, but he is quite a bit of a space cadet at times.
“When he first played, you think ‘this guy’s huge, athletic’ but he hadn’t really quite pieced it together. Now, you put him up against the majority of wingers in the world and you’d be very happy in a one-on-one situation.
“So I think he genuinely is close to being world-class.”
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