Today's rugby news as Owen Farrell story breaks, Jac Morgan makes pledge and Premiership changes name

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Today's rugby news as Owen Farrell story breaks, Jac Morgan makes pledge and Premiership changes name
The latest rugby news and headlines from Wales and beyond
Owen Farrell
(Image: 2024 Getty Images )
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Friday, June 13.
Farrell returns to Saracens
Owen Farrell is returning to England with immediate effect after Saracens agreed a transfer fee with Racing 92 to bring him home from an injury-hit spell in France.
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Rugby Pass and The Telegraph report the English club have settled on a price of €200,000 (£169,250) with the French giants and have given Farrell a five-year contract that will see him initially take on a player-coach role before becoming a full-time coach. Farrell is said to have taken a big pay cut from the huge £600,000-plus salary he was on at Racing following his big move to the Top 14 a year ago.
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He immediately becomes eligible to play for England again, although it remains to be seen whether he wants to play international rugby after previously walking away from the Test arena following the Rugby World Cup in 2023 for mental health reasons. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Ahead of the move Mark McCall revealed he may also may not play in his usual position of outside-half, saying: 'He doesn't have to play 10, he can play other positions as well. So for our young talents who are developing, it could be a great thing to have him there.
'It's not just about having talent, it's about being able to think properly on the field. I know Owen's obviously one of the best at that. He and [fellow fly-half] Louie Johnson in particular have a very strong relationship already. They talk every month at least. Owen's so willing to share his knowledge and his experience with younger players.'
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Premiership to be rebranded as Gallagher Prem from next season
By Ed Elliot, PA
The Gallagher Premiership will be rebranded as the Gallagher Prem from next season.
The name change is part of a campaign to attract new audiences to the competition, with the primary focus on promoting the intensity, physicality, athleticism and rivalry of England's top flight.
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Premiership Rugby, which will become Prem Rugby, is also investing 'significant money' in generating player content to publicise the stories of the league's next generation of talent.
A promotional video for the relaunch, which is backed by broadcast partner TNT Sports, is due to be screened at Allianz Stadium Twickenham during Saturday's Premiership final between Bath and Leicester.
The new name – and branding, including an orange, white and blue logo – will be officially introduced on Wednesday, July 23 when next season's fixtures are announced.
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Premiership Rugby's chief growth officer Rob Calder, who was previously a commercial director for cricket competition The Hundred, has been working on the rebrand since his appointment in October 2022.
Its unveiling comes amid the potential threat of a prospective new breakaway league, branded R360, which hopes to attract the sport's biggest stars.
'We're going to talk how the fans talk: we as a business will be Prem Rugby but the league will be the Gallagher Prem,' Calder said of the name change.
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'Our focus moving forward is going to be on the intensity, the physicality and the extreme athleticism of rugby, as well as the rawness and the grit of our league.
'We've got a clear strategy and we're building something bigger. It's about selling what makes this thing unique and something which resonates with the broadest audiences.
'This competition is flourishing, so we want to hold on to that, but we also want to look forward.'
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Morgan aware of upholding Wales' Lions legacy
Jac Morgan says he is aware of upholding Wales' proud British and Irish Lions traditions on the upcoming tour of Australia.
The Wales captain was just one of two Welshmen named in Andy Farrell's squad, with Tomos Williams the other.
However, despite the lack of Welsh players, Morgan - speaking from their training camp in Portugal - is very aware of the legacy left by previous Welshmen in the Lions jersey.
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"There have been a lot of Welshmen in the history of the Lions; they are legends of the game," he told BBC Rugby Union Weekly.
"So it is a massive inspiration and hopefully we can make everyone in Wales proud." Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
On the experience so far, he added: "There is loads to learn, and I am looking forward to see how they all train, their habits and the extra stuff they do," Morgan added.
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"But also it's exciting to work as a back row and get the best out of each other. It will be great to learn from them and to play with them."
Lions stars ruled out of final
British and Irish Lions Tadhg Furlong and Hugo Keenan have been ruled out of Leinster's United Rugby Championship final against the Bulls on Saturday.
Both tight-head prop Furlong and full-back Keenan have been nursing calf injuries, although fellow Lions Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier have returned from injury to face the South African side.
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Leinster's dozen Lions tourists will link up with Andy Farrell's squad after Saturday's final at Croke Park, ahead of their first match against Argentina in Dublin on Friday.
However, the fact Furlong still isn't back will come as a blow - with the Lions coaches having spoken confidently on Wednesday in Portugal over the 32-year-old's availability for this weekend's final.
Furlong has struggled with injuries all season, with his last appearance being at the start of May.
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Keenan started Leinster's URC quarter-final against Scarlets on 31 May but did not feature against Glasgow Warriors in the semi-finals a week later.
Back-row Van der Flier's last game was also against the Scarlets, while Ringrose will be making his first appearance since 10 May.