Owen Farrell set for international call-up after completing move back to Saracens

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The 33-year-old fly-half, who holds the record as England’s all-time leading points scorer, has cut short his Top 14 stint after Racing and Sarries struck an early release agreement.

Farrell previously spent 16 seasons with the north London club, racking up 256 appearances and lifting six Premiership trophies along with three European crowns. He also boasts 112 England caps and six for the British & Irish Lions.

Farrell will be back in the spotlight this Friday as a pundit for Sky Sports’ coverage of the Lions v Argentina showdown in Dublin.

But the bigger story? His international future.

RUCK understands that Farrell is expected to hold talks with Steve Borthwick this week and a shock return to the England setup could be on the cards for this summer’s Tests against the USA and Argentina.

However, there’s a twist – and it’s a big one.

If Lions head coach (and dad) Andy Farrell comes calling, don’t rule out Owen heading back into red for the 2025 tour. With limited depth at 12, the door is very much open.

One thing’s certain – Farrell’s rugby journey is far from over.

23 June, but this weekend offers the perfect proving ground for some of England’s most promising emerging stars.

Here are five rising talents looking to make their mark in 2025.

There’s heritage in his blood and flair in his boots — Max Ojomoh is starting to look every inch the international centre he was always destined to be.

The Bath-born playmaker scored a crucial try in the 2024 Premiership Final, helping his hometown club lift the trophy in a performance that cemented his rise from promising academy talent to midfield maestro.

Son of former Bath and England flanker Steve Ojomoh, Max has grown up with the game — first pulling on a rugby shirt at age six with Bath Rugby before spending time at Chippenham RFC. He attended King Edward’s School in Bath, a known rugby nursery, before rejoining the Bath pathway and formally entering the Bath Academy at 14.

He made his senior club debut in 2019 in the Premiership Rugby Cup against Exeter Chiefs and earned his Premiership debut in March 2021, followed swiftly by a European bow against Zebre Parma. Ojomoh officially graduated to the senior squad in February 2022, and hasn’t looked back since.

His breakthrough 2021/22 season featured standout 80-minute shifts and saw him called into Eddie Jones’s England training squad, while his electric form earned him Premiership MVP for October from the RPA.

On the international front, Ojomoh has ticked every box. He scored on debut for England U18 against France, added four U20 caps in the 2020 Six Nations, and stepped up to England A, where he touched down in the win over Portugal in February 2024. He’s been on England’s radar since 2021 and continues to impress with every outing.

Strong in contact, smart in distribution, and confident under pressure — Max Ojomoh isn’t just one for the future. He’s knocking on the door right now.

Fresh off being named Player of the Match in Bath’s Premiership Final triumph over Leicester Tigers, Guy Pepper has arrived on the big stage — and he’s not leaving anytime soon.

Nominated for the 2024 Premiership Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Season, Pepper capped off a phenomenal campaign by signing a three-year contract with Bath, joining the club ahead of the 2024/25 season. It’s a huge move for one of the most talked-about back-rowers in English rugby.

Raised in Eggleston, Teesdale, Pepper came through the renowned rugby setup at Barnard Castle School, before combining his studies at Durham University with his first professional steps at Newcastle Falcons in 2021. He didn’t take long to make a name for himself — scoring three tries in his first seven appearances and earning praise for his physicality, aggression, and game sense.

Internationally, he’s worn the rose at England U18 and U20 levels and received his first senior call-up during the 2024 Six Nations. A student of the game with real pedigree — his father Martin Pepper played for Harlequins — Guy has balanced elite rugby with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science, proving he's as sharp off the pitch as he is on it.

At 21, he’s already dominating games. With a high ceiling and a fearless edge, Guy Pepper is England’s next enforcer-in-waiting.

Leeds-born and bred, Joe Carpenter is a fullback with all the tools to thrive at the top level — electric footwork, a rock-solid aerial game, and a cool head under pressure.

He started out at West Park Leeds RUFC at the age of seven, learning the ropes from local legends Graham Chadwickand Ronnie Kelly, before moving into the Yorkshire Carnegie Academy at 15. There, under the guidance of coaches like Danny Wild, Scott Barrow, and Steve Salvin, Carpenter’s game matured — and by 2020, Sale Sharks had seen enough to bring him into their setup.

A product of Woodhouse Grove School, he credits teachers Mr Ryder and Mr Bedford for sharpening his rugby brain during those formative years. And his rugby idol growing up? None other than Sale Sharks icon and England World Cup winner Jason Robinson — fitting inspiration for a player with such dangerous broken-field running.

Carpenter made his senior debut in 2020 against La Rochelle in the Heineken Champions Cup, and has steadily built a reputation as one of the Premiership’s most dependable young 15s. Elusive on the counter and calm under the high ball, he’s the type of fullback England fans have been crying out for.

Internationally, Carpenter has been part of the England age-grade set-up, featuring alongside current Sharks teammates Raffi Quirke, Tom Curtis, and Tom Roebuck. While injury kept him out of the U18 tour of South Africa in 2018, he bounced back to feature in the Six Nations U18 Festival in 2019, and hasn’t stopped climbing since.

With genuine pace, positional intelligence, and a sharp attacking instinct, Joe Carpenter is a fullback ready to take the next step.

Once a promising back-rower in the Saints Academy, Emmanuel “Manny” Iyogun has undergone one of the most impressive transitions in English rugby — and come out the other side as a seriously powerful loosehead prop.

He first pulled on a Saints jersey in 2017, playing two years above his age group in the U18s before formally signing full-time with Northampton’s Senior Academy ahead of the 2019/20 season. The switch to the front row didn’t slow him down — if anything, it unlocked his full potential.

By 2019, Iyogun was already making noise on the international stage, featuring prominently for England U20s in that year’s Six Nations. His dynamism, strength, and composure quickly caught the eye.

Thrown into the senior spotlight during an injury crisis in 2020, Iyogun made his debut at just 19 and was trusted to start in a Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final the very next weekend against Exeter Chiefs. He not only held his own — he announced himself as a serious prospect.

Those early efforts earned him Saints’ Breakthrough Player of the Season for 2019/20, and he gained further experience on dual registration with Bedford Blues the following year.

In 2021/22, Iyogun truly began to make his mark, making 20 appearances and helping Saints into the Premiership play-offs, solidifying his place in the matchday squad with every performance.

Strong at the set-piece, explosive in the carry, and still just scratching the surface of his potential, Manny Iyogun looks built for Test rugby — and England fans should be very excited.