Owen Farrell is desperately trying to make this week, in which he will win his 100th cap for England, as normal as possible – but it is not working.
To start with he feels distinctly uneasy that everyone is being friendly to him. He is far more used to criticism, having been in the public eye for a decade. “It’s from you normally,” he quips, before laughing, when talking to a group of journalists before his big day against New Zealand on Saturday.
Is it not warming for him to hear the glowing praise? “No. Not particularly,” Farrell responds, chuckling again. “Sometimes. It depends who it is. I’m not too good at listening to stuff about myself. The sooner we get on to it [the
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