Dan Biggar 'struggling' with Owen Farrell's Lions call-up as he makes honest admission
The 33-year-old was drafted into the squad after an injury to Elliot Daly this week
Owen Farrell and Dan Biggar
(Image: Getty Images )
Dan Biggar says he's 'struggling to get to grips' with the decision to call up Owen Farrell to the British and Irish Lions squad.
The 33-year-old has been drafted into Andy Farrell's plans following an injury to Elliot Daly, who was forced off after hurting his arm in the win over the Queensland Reds on Wednesday.
Scans revealed Daly had fractured his arm in Brisbane, meaning he'll play no further part in the tour Down Under. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia.
The decision to call up Farrell, however, has seemingly divided opinion, and former Wales star Biggar, a veteran of two tours, admits he's not convinced it's the right call.
"It's big news," he told Sky Sports. "But I'm struggling to get to grips with the sense of it.
"No one's doubting that Owen's an amazing character and an amazing player with the career he's had.
"But he hasn't played Test rugby for over two years. He hasn't played any form of rugby for the last couple of months.
"The person he's replacing doesn't play in any of the same positions. So I'm just struggling to get to grips with where the sense of it is."
Biggar acknowledges that the move could be more to do with Farrell's impact behind the scenes rather than his potential contributions on the pitch.
But he warns there's still a risk his inclusion could upset the over balance of the squad.
"Is Andy Farrell lacking some sort of leadership in the team? Does he need some strong characters? Does he think that if it comes down to a drawn series coming into that final week, does he need strong people that have been there and done it before?
"It seems to me there's a lot of risk in this play and not a huge amount of reward in that you've got Marcus and Fin Smith. Where do they feel like they sit in the pecking order now?
"When they close the bedroom door and go to bed and turn the light off at night. What are they thinking? Are they thinking 'is he coming in to replace me?'
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"There's lots of options in those positions and it just feels like it doesn't really make sense, and I think everybody is saying the same thing."
Well, not quite everybody.
Indeed, former Lions team-mate Jonathan Davies, who played with the Englishman during the series win over the Wallabies and the tied series with New Zealand believes Farrell's experience could prove invaluable.
"What Owen brings in is a huge amount of experience," he told The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby podcast: "He knows how to win a series, and I don't think there's anyone else on tour that does.
"When I played with him in 2017, he gave me confidence to really execute my roles and I think that's why I was able to play on that tour in 2017 my best rugby in my career. There's no grey areas with Owen.
"The risk is, does it leave them open in the back three? I don't think so when you look at the amount of back three players they have.
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"The midweek group needs direction and leadership, because it's very easy to get those splits in camp. The senior players that have been on tour previously in the two tours I was in, understood how important it was for the midweek team to really stay attached and to stay focused in training and not to lose them.
"So if Owen isn't going to play in the Test team, it might be a case of 'Right. We want him to drive standards in and around the environment and the boys under a bit of pressure'."
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