Owen Farrell’s birth certificate has been doing the rounds once again on social media – and fans are shocked to see that his name wasn’t always Farrell.
Andy Farrell has been married to his wife Colleen O’Loughlin since 1995.
The pair met as teenagers and had their first child Owen when Colleen was 16 years old.
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As a result, Owen was not at first registered as a Farrell, but took mum Colleen’s family name of O’Loughlin.
The couple married in 1995, changing Owen’s surname to Farrell the following year. They also have three other children, Elleshia, Gracie and Gabriel.
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n 2019, as a result of their move to Ireland, Andy’s younger son Gabriel may become eligible to play for the Irish national team through residency, if not through ancestry. The final decision on whether Gabriel will pursue a professional rugby career remains in the balance.
He said: “Everyone from the north-west of England is from Ireland anyway. You go from Liverpool straight across the east Lancs to Manchester and it’s full of Irish. I’ve got [Dublin] ancestry that goes back three or four generations, and so has my wife.
Embed from Getty Images“The big move for us, and anyone else from Wigan, is to move down south. That’s the big move,” he adds, smiling. “Coming to Ireland and living in Dublin is almost like going home for me. Just the people and family-type atmosphere.”
Embed from Getty ImagesAndy and Owen both played together for English Premiership team Saracens and there was big competition between them.
“He says he never lets me win,” said Owen. “But I always win anyway.”
Andy, in 2020, proudly shared that Gabriel’s rugby development is progressing rapidly and that he is already surpassing the achievements of his older brother Owen at the same age.
Gabriel’s dedication to honing his goal
Owen Farrell facts:
- The Saracens star went to school with England teammate George Ford
- His education began in rugby league – he joined Wigan St Patricks at the age of eight
- He became the youngest ever player to appear in English professional rugby, making his debut aged 17 and 11 days. This record was later beaten by schoolmate Ford
- It’s well known that Owen is the son of Ireland head coach Andy Farrell. However, it’s less commonly know that his uncle Sean O’Loughlin is also a rugby league legend, winning 34 caps for Great Britain between 1993 and 2009
- He was not at first registered as a Farrell, but took mum Colleen’s family name of O’Loughlin. The couple married in 1995, changing Owen’s surname to Farrell the following year.
A fans poll has ranked rugby’s five biggest d***heads
#5. Dan Biggar (Wales)
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Dan Biggar facts:
- Biggar has twice been selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions (2017 & 2021)
- On 7 December 2015, Biggar won the BBC Cymru Sports Personality of the Year Award
- Biggar came through the Ospreys development pathway, having attended Gowerton Comprehensive School in Swansea
- The fly-half has his own routine before kicking goals, which fans now call “The Biggarena” after Los Del Rio’s 1995 hit, Macarena