It had all the makings of a Six Nations classic and England v Scotland on the opening day of this year's championship certainly didn't disappoint, with Gregor Townsend's side running out 23-29 winners at Twickenham in a thrilling contest.
The end-to-end encounter will be remembered by most for match-winner Duhan van der Merwe's stunning first try of the afternoon, which saw him collect the ball just inside his own half before beating five English tackles with an electrifying turn of pace and some deft footwork to score.
But while van der Merwe grabbed the headlines, it is an incident that took place in the lead up to that classic try that has had fans and pundits talking following the game.
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Scotland's Finn Russell was targeted by England's defence throughout the match, with the fly-half on the receiving end of some heavy tackles and a few off-the-ball shoulder checks. He was met with one particularly crunching challenge by Farrell as he surged into the English 22 just before the half hour mark as he looked for his side's second try of the game.
That tackle led to a turnover as the ball was knocked from Russell's grasp, only for it to end up in van der Merwe's hands moments later after a poor clearance from England was collected by Kyle Steyn, who fed it to the South African-born winger before he began his mazy run through the opposition half, beating Farrell in the process.
And as van der Merwe crossed the line to stun Twickenham, Russell was sure to get one back at Farrell, making a beeline for the unwitting Saracens skipper and shoving and shouting at him as his Scotland teammates celebrated around him.
Farrell can be seen stumbling forward following the shoulder barge before turning to face Russell, who in turn gives him an earful before running off to congratulate van der Merwe.
A clip of the incident has been watched more than a million times following the game, with rugby analyst Ben Smith spotting the clash. "Big tackle from Farrell on Russell forcing the turnover," he said. "Big effort from Russell to get back around moments later and let Farrell know about his non-attempt on the Van der Merwe try."
The incident was seen in the replay of the try posted by ITV
However, the clash has left both fans and pundits divided. While some have dismissed it as part of a friendly rivalry or even praised Russell for exacting revenge, others have claimed that his actions would not be celebrated had the tables been turned.
Former England star Mike Brown was among those taking issue with the response to Russell's behaviour, writing on Twitter: "Imagine that was the other way round… would be up roar [sic] lol." Some fans agreed with the new Leicester Tigers man, with one writing: "If Farrell did this everyone would be crying, but alright," and another adding: "If it was the other way round, you would have seen the comments filled with ‘Farrell’s a thug’ and a lot of s*** about rugby values."
However, others held that the spat was justified and only added to the drama and excitement of the game. "Finn took quite a few big hits today," said one fan. "All legitimate from what I could see. Perfect response."
"I love this! Never change Finn, never change," wrote another, while a third commented: "Both class players getting stuck into each other. That’s what it’s about. Love it."
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