David Campese calls Owen Farrell's Lions call-up ‘a weak pick by Daddy'

Telegraph

19 hours ago

David Campese, the legendary Wallaby wing, has labelled Owen Farrell's call-up to the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia as 'a weak pick by daddy' in a savage tirade against head coach Andy Farrell.
As exclusively revealed by Telegraph Sport on Thursday, Owen Farrell will fly in to replace club-mate Elliot Daly, who suffered a fractured arm in the 52-12 victory against Queensland Reds on Wednesday night
Andy Farrell, who urged supporters to cut out the 'nonsense' negativity surrounding his son's call-up, revealed that the Saracens playmaker will primarily cover inside centre and expects the 33-year-old to compete for a starting Test place. He also dismissed concerns around his fitness having not played since suffering a concussion for Racing 92 in May.
None of that has washed with Campese, however. The 62-year-old, who retired from the sport in 1996 after winning 101 caps and a World Cup for Australia, believes that Owen Farrell's selection is 'weak', that it could disrupt the Lions camp, and that the 'ageing' fly-half 'left Paris with his tail between his legs'.
'For the life of me, I cannot fathom why Andy Farrell would call up an ageing fly-half-cum-centre to replace a classy back-three player,' Campese wrote in a column Planet Rugby.
'Yes, Owen Farrell has been a world-class ten in his time. Yes, he's been an outstanding British and Irish Lion. Yes, he's been a champion of Europe, a World Cup finalist and a Premiership legend. But the ever-present word there is 'has'.
'Owen's form since quitting England and Saracens for Racing 92 has been - well, I'm not sure there's been any form whatsoever. He's struggled with the pace of French rugby and the standard of the Top 14, he's not been able to get any sort of purchase into a style of game that's run by a production line of world-class nines and he's left Paris with his tail between his legs and a reputation that's suffered as a result.
'I also have to question judgement here. I have always been respectful of the Farrell name. This is a weak pick by Daddy – and weak isn't what I'd expect from them.
'It also puts huge pressure on Owen, who can't have a bagful of confidence after the Racing 92 experience, and that sort of thing can also disrupt camp... what message is this sending out to the likes of Marcus and Fin Smith?'
Campese is no stranger to outspoken outbursts. Last month, he was brutal in his criticism of four individual Lions performances in the loss to Argentina. The Australian said of Wales back-rower Jac Morgan: 'I had to check to be sure Jac Morgan was even playing, such was his lack of impact... generally missing in action in a woeful personal performance.'
However, after Morgan's player of the match performance against the Reds on Wednesday, Campese has performed a swift about-turn.
'I'll take my hat off to Jac Morgan after his response to criticism - and I'll buy him a beer in Brisbane!' Campese said. 'He was, as I said, pretty anonymous against Argentina; maybe a bit of fatigue, maybe learning the systems. But, against the Reds, he was absolutely compelling, and I'm happy to eat my words after a performance like that.'
Luke Cowan-Dickie: Owen Farrell is a class player. I'm buzzing
By Daniel Schofield, Sydney
Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie dismissed suggestions that Owen Farrell lacked the necessary form and fitness to merit a Lions call-up, stating 'you don't lose class'.
As first revealed by Telegraph Sport, the former England captain was brought in to replace Elliot Daly, who suffered a fractured forearm in the Lions' 52-12 defeat of Queensland Reds. Head coach Andy Farrell's decision to call up his son has been questioned by figures such as former Lions fly-half Dan Biggar.
Owen Farrell has not played since early May after suffering a concussion and it is 20 months since he last played a Test match after choosing to step back from international rugby to prioritise his mental health. However, Cowan-Dickie, who was captained by Farrell with England, says that no one within the Lions camp batted an eyelid when his call-up was confirmed.
'You don't lose class,' Cowan-Dickie said. 'I don't think you lose class. Faz is a class player, so I'm well happy. I'm buzzing for him. Obviously, I know Faz well. He's one of them players who will definitely add to the group, so quite excited to see him.Hopefully, he's a bit jet-lagged, so I can get into him a little bit. I'm quite excited.
'The internal reaction was good. Faz is a well-known player. He's played quality rugby over many years. We knew someone had to come in due to Elliot getting injured, which obviously is gutting for him. But yes, the overall reaction was as you'd expect. He's a top quality player.'
Well much of the discussion around Farrell's call-up has focused on the effect on the fly-half pecking order, Cowan-Dickie says his off-field influence is just as valuable, despite being on the receiving end of some unfriendly Farrell fire. 'When I was younger, maybe,' said Cowan-Dickie. 'He did a few times. But, obviously, I've calmed down a bit now, so we're all right.'
Cowan-Dickie was on the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa with Farrell and says that his ability to set standards did not dip even when he dropped out of the match-day squad for the third Test against the Springboks. 'He's always good,' Cowan-Dickie said. 'There's been games he hasn't played before and he always sets standards in training. I think he's a good team man. Even though he might not be involved one week or he might be in the next week, every single week stays the same from training-wise and standards that he wants to set.
'One thing about Faz, even if he's not captain or he is captain, are the standards he sets on the training field. He's got a bit of an aura about him on training fields, which makes you want to try and train to perfection. I know it's quite hard to perfect training every single day, but he definitely makes standards higher, so it's good.