Inside Owen Farrell's Saracens comeback: The phone call that swung it, what's different about him since he left for Racing 92, the surprise way he reintroduced himself and how he can earn England recall

On the way to a safari trip in South Africa this summer, Owen Farrell was handed the microphone to re-introduce himself to his Saracens team-mates.

‘Sing us a song!’ they shouted, as part of his initiation routine.

Farrell, 34, is a senior statesman in the club ranks, the face of their era of dominance over the last 15 years with six Premiership titles, three European Cups and a European Player of the Year - never mind 112 England caps and four Lions tours - but there was no special treatment.

There was a club videographer beside him at the front of the bus, recording behind-the-scenes footage of the pre-season tour to Durban. ‘Don’t film this!’ insisted Farrell, before he cleared his throat and belted out Bill Withers' Lean on Me.

There is a more relaxed mood around Farrell these days, as he prepares to make his second debut for the club at Newcastle Red Bulls on Friday night. More of a smile on his face. 

Once upon a time, the videographer might have hidden his camera beneath the seat after Farrell’s instruction, yet he kept the tape rolling to capture the full story of his second coming.

The stars aligned for Farrell’s return to London. With the likes of Maro Itoje, Ben Earl and Jamie George on their books, the club were already spending up to the salary cap allowance.

But an unfortunate achilles tear for Alex Lozowski opened up an injury-dispensation allowance, which freed Saracens to bring in suitable cover. Farrell was under contract with Racing 92 for another season but his heart has always been in north London.

Nick Kennedy, the club’s head of recruitment, put Farrell’s name on a shortlist that included the likes of Australia fly-half James O’Connor, who would eventually end up at Leicester Tigers. It was McCall who picked up the phone to ring the former England captain, who moved to France and sacrificed playing for his country after intense scrutiny began to have an impact on his private life.

‘We kept in contact, but not regular contact,’ McCall tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘The only time I actually saw him was when we played a Champions Cup game at Stade Francais in December. He watched the match and spent a bit of time with us after the game, just to catch up with some old friends before we got the Eurostar back that night.

‘He was cracking on with his new club and we were cracking on with what was happening at Saracens. There was no indication that he felt like he’d made a bad choice by moving. He was settling into life in France, his kids were settling into school, they were happy there.’

While living in Paris, Farrell kept in touch with young Saracens No 10 Louie Johnson, who joined from Newcastle at around the same time as his mentor crossed the Channel. Farrell would speak to Johnson every month, offering guidance and advice as he comes through the club ranks.

Fergus Burke was the club’s leading fly-half but there was a lack of senior depth behind him. Saracens struggled to maintain intensity on the pitch, which was Farrell’s hallmark, and the club’s hierarchy agreed to pay a substantial release fee to buy him out of his contract in Paris.

‘When you’re bringing in injury dispensation, it has to be someone who fundamentally plays the same position,’ explains McCall. ‘The rules state that it has to be someone on the same salary or lower. Nick Kennedy gave me a list of possibilities and we explored those possibilities.

‘Alex ruptured his achilles. It’s a bad injury. If you’re going to bring someone in, you need to make sure it’s for the right reasons. They don’t want to get in the way of a younger player and they need to strengthen the group. At that time of year, late April, the list wasn’t great so we weren’t really sure if we were going to bring anybody in.

‘If there’s somebody better in the building who can jump into those shoes then you wouldn’t do it. We spent a number of weeks looking at the possibilities. All of a sudden, there was a whisper of whether you’d consider Owen. That’s how it started.

‘We had one long chat about what it could look like. We had people under contract in the midfield and the 10 position so there’s sensitivities around explaining it to them. It’s not that complicated. It was just, “We’ve got a problem”, and you talk normally. He was under contract so it wasn’t a case of just saying, “Yes”.’

The Farrell family kept hold of their house in St Albans, so the move was straightforward after Saracens had agreed a release fee with Racing 92. They moved back before the Lions tour of Australia in the summer but Farrell had no time to sit still.

He worked with Sky Sports for the Lions opening game in Dublin, before flying out to Sydney after Elliot Daly picked up an injury that ruled him out of the tour. His experienced pedigree carries weight, so much so that Team Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, sought his advice when they crossed paths at the recent PGA Championship at Wentworth.

‘Sometimes what was reported about Owen and what Owen’s actually like were two different things,’ says McCall.

‘He got straight on a plane to South Africa during pre-season. He was having to sing his song at the front of the bus because he’s a new player. That’s the best way for him to come back. He came back in a nice social setting where he got to know young players and chat to everybody he didn’t know.

‘My experience of Owen at the club first time around was that he was a phenomenal team-mate. He’s always been generous with his time. He’s always led from the front. Anything he’s asked anyone to do, he’s doing it himself. 

'He’s come back with a smile on his face. He’s enjoying his rugby, he’s enjoying getting to know some new team-mates and he’s been flying in training.’

Most of the Lions players now have mandatory rest periods at the start of the PREM campaign but that does not apply to Farrell.

He has been thrown straight back into business. He will wear the No 12 jersey at Newcastle on Friday night, where all eyes will be on the playmaker to see if he can rediscover his international form ahead of England's autumn internationals. Steve Borthwick will be watching with interest.

His comeback story promises to be one of the season’s most gripping narratives.