Farrell knows he will be a union success

FORMER Great Britain rugby league captain Andy Farrell yesterday answered criticism over his cross-code switch by declaring: “If I was a betting man I’d back myself.”

Farrell has signed a three-year contract with Saracens in a deal jointly funded by the Rugby Football Union, who have earmarked him as a potential England international.

The 29-year-old's rugby pedigree is beyond dispute, but the move has been greeted with raised eyebrows by both codes.