Saracens v Racing 92: Owen Farrell not focusing on Dan Carter ahead of European Champions Cup clash
Saracens fly-half Owen Farrell insists he is not fazed by the prospect of going head-to-head with opposite number Dan Carter in Saturday’s European Champions Cup final against Racing 92.
Former All Black Carter has enjoyed a fine debut season with Racing but Farrell, currently the competition’s leading points scorer with 106, insists he is focused on his own team and not how he compares to the two-time World Cup winner and three-time world player of the year.
“I don’t think I’ve ever gone into a game and thought it was a personal battle with the opposite 10,” the England international told the Saracens website.
“As a 10 your job is to control the team, control what you’re doing and execute the plan you’ve come up with.
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“It’s not about trying to outdo the person in front of you, it’s broader than that. We’ve definitely looked at him and we’ll continue to analyse but at the same time we need to make sure we concentrate on ourselves.”
Both Saracens and Racing are bidding for their first ever European Champions Cup and should Farrell’s side triumph in Lyon, they will become the first English since Wasps nine years ago to be named champions of Europe.
Saracens’ team is set to include a number of veterans from the side that lost in the final to Toulon two years ago and Farrell believes the lingering heartbreak will spur them on
“You have to learn from big games and big experiences, especially ones where it doesn’t go your way,” he said.
“You have to take everything you possibly can. I know we are a different team since then and we know we have got better.”