And so another top athlete steps off the treadmill. On Wednesday afternoon, a bombshell landed, Owen Farrell, the England captain, electing to step away from international duty and miss next year’s Six Nations to prioritise his “mental wellbeing”.
The news came as a complete shock. Only last week, Farrell was expressing a desire to press on in an England shirt for as long as possible while talking up his enjoyment of the game. The fly half has been in outstanding form for club and country for much of the last six months, and his pride in wearing the badges of England and Saracens shines through on and off the pitch.
