Andy Farrell ups the Lions ante with call for prodigal son Owen  

Andy Farrell has lobbed a large rock into a previously tranquil Lions touring pool.

Head coach Andy Farrell during a British & Irish Lions team announcement at The Intercontinental Sydney by OHG in Sydney, Australia. Photo by Steve Christo/Sportsfile

Andy Farrell says the arrival of his son Owen will “inject a bit of life and experience” into the British & Irish Lions squad in Australia and is backing him to sharpen the team’s competitive edge. Farrell also said he had no hesitation in picking the former England captain despite the fact he has not played Test rugby for 20 months and struggled for form and fitness this year.

Farrell Jr is due to fly in to join the squad on Friday as a replacement for the luckless Elliot Daly who broke a forearm in the 52-12 win against the Queensland Reds. It is a big call for a number of reasons but Farrell Sr insists it is the right one for the squad as they build towards their best-of-three Test series against the Wallabies which kicks off in just over a fortnight.