Owen Farrell is understood to have led his Celtic counterparts Johnny Sexton, Alun Wyn Jones and Stuart Hogg in a recent Lions board meeting.
According to The Telegraph, the England captain urged British and Irish Lions officials that the series against South Africa “must go ahead” even if it means playing the tour behind closed doors or staged in the UK.
“The message was clear, the four captains told Lions officials: ‘We don’t care where, we don’t care how, please make it happen, the players are desperate for it to go ahead,’” said a source.
It's also reported that the home tour, which would see games staged at the Principality, Wembley and Twickenham has been fully costed and is forecast to generate greater revenues than the original tour.
However, that is only if Covid restrictions are relaxed and capacity crowds are able to attend.
LIST | 5 things you definitely didn’t know about Owen Farrell
Here are five things you definitely didn't know about England captain Owen Farrell, including what his name was at birth!
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1. Partner
He married his longtime girlfriend Georgina “Georgie” Farrell (née Lyon) in July 2018. Their son, Tommy Farrell, was born in March 2019. They keep their life largely private.
2.Almost joining Manchester United
In 2005, the 13-year-old Farrell had a trial at Old Trafford, and did enough to convince the club's academy executives that the then goalkeeper deserved an extended spell with the club. Years later, they dressed him up as a goalkeeper on his stag do.
3.Original name
He was not at first registered as a Farrell, but took mum Colleen’s family name of O’Loughlin. The couple married in 1995, changing Owen’s surname to Farrell the following year.
4.Family ties
It's well known that Owen is the son of Ireland head coach Andy Farrell. However, it's less commonly know that his uncle Sean O'Loughlin is also a rugby league legend, winning 34 caps for Great Britain between 1993 and 2009. He also has two younger sisters, Elleshia and Gracie and one younger brother, Gabriel.
5.Celebration
The England captain celebrates every point he scores by linking his index fingers together to make a 'JJ' sign, the Joining Jack salute, Joining Jack being a charity dedicated to the needs of sufferers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Farrell is also a patron for Duchenne muscular dystrophy charity Duchenne UK.