"Fourth Tour" - Looking back on Owen Farrell's Lions career ahead of comeback match

Farrell was initially overlooked for the Lions tour, with question marks around the match fitness of the fly half following an inconsistent season in France. Farrell stepped away from the England squad following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with his move to Racing 92 keeping him away from Test match contention.

However, the 33-year-old has since confirmed a return to Saracens, with Farrell getting the call from the Lions to provide injury cover from one of his North London club mates. Elliot Daly sustained a fractured arm whilst on Lions duties against Queensland Reds, with Lions head coach Andy Farrell making the call to his son, to come out to Australia with the Test series looming against the Wallabies.

The call-up marks Farrell's fourth Lions tour, following his 2013 debut in the very same land down under. Now, some 12 years on, the halfback is out to steer the ship towards another successful Test series, with his long awaited return scheduled for Saturday. Farrell takes up the number 23 shirt for the tour match against the Australian-New Zealand XV, with plenty of expectation ahead of his imminent return to the fabled red jersey.

Here is a re-cap of Owen Farrell's career with the British & Irish Lions so far, as he prepares to write the newest chapter into his storied career this weekend.

Lions Matches: 7

Owen Farrell’s maiden British & Irish Lions tour in 2013 offered a first glimpse of his mettle on rugby’s most storied stage. Selected at just 21 years old, Farrell entered the Lions environment with burgeoning promise, and though Johnny Sexton was the preferred starter at fly-half, Farrell’s contributions were far from peripheral across a successful tour Down Under.

His Lions debut came in the opening fixture against the Barbarians in the sweltering Hong Kong heat, where he calmly slotted three penalties and three conversions in a dominant 59–8 win. Farrell featured in six of the nine tour matches in Australia, including appearances against the resident Super Rugby sides, before earning his stripes on the Test match area. Despite being a baby-faced newcomer on the tour, Farrell was unflappable, and consistently showcased his precise goal-kicking for consistent selection.

A standout moment came in the clash with Western Force when, introduced in the 66th minute, he scored a try with his very first touch, capping a 69–17 victory in style. Though largely used in a supporting role to his Irish counterpart throughout the tour, Farrell earned his first Test cap in the decisive third Test in Sydney. Coming off the bench to replace Sexton, he helped steer the Lions to a thumping 41–16 win over Australia, sealing a historic 2–1 series victory. It was a formative tour for Farrell, and one that set the tone for his future as a Lions Test-calibre leader.

Farrell emerged as a central figure during the British & Irish Lions’ fiercely contested 2017 tour of New Zealand, in a inseparable series widely hailed as one of the greatest in modern rugby. Farrell, one of only a handful of returning Lions from the 2013 tour, brought maturity, precision, and steely composure to the side as he started all three Tests against the All Blacks.

Farrell got the nod to lead the first Test of the series from fly half, yet the 30-15 defeat at Eden Park ushered in a quick re-shuffle from Warren Gatland. For the remaining two Test matches, Farrell shifted to inside centre to accommodate Johnny Sexton at 10, in a tactical change that proved pivotal.

In the second Test, Farrell took over the kicking duties in the closing moments, to slot a decisive penalty with just three minutes remaining, to clinch a dramatic 24–21 win. This handed the All Blacks their first home defeat since 2009, in what was a momentous triumph over the back-to-back World Champions.

In the third and final Test, a tense and tactical 15–15 draw, Farrell held his nerve from the tee, finishing the match with a perfect goal-kicking record. His consistency proved vital as the Lions claimed a historic drawn series, as the All Blacks failed to win a Lions series for only the second time in over a century. Farrell finished the tour as the top points scorer with 45, underlining his influence in one of the Lions’ proudest modern achievements.

Owen Farrell’s third tour with the British & Irish Lions was unlike any before it, a campaign shaped by strict COVID-19 protocols, empty stadiums, and last-minute squad upheavals. Yet amid the uncertainty and disruption, Farrell’s adaptability once again proved an asset in a challenging series against the reigning world champion Springboks.

Farrell featured in four of the six non-Test fixtures, including the curtain-raiser against Japan in Edinburgh and a disrupted warm-up schedule in South Africa. Originally not named to start against the Sharks, he was drafted in following a COVID-related reshuffle that sidelined several players, in what was a recurring theme on a tour that demanded flexibility from the entire squad.

Ahead of the South Africa A clash, he was again called upon to replace Dan Biggar in the starting lineup, underlining Farrell’s reliability as a senior figure in a squad that was under intense pressure. In the Test series itself, Farrell was used off the bench in both the first and second matches. He contributed to a memorable 22–17 win in the opening Test but could do little to prevent a South African resurgence, with the hosts taking the series 2–1 after grinding out victories in the final two encounters.