Farrell makes union bow

Andy Farrell finally made his rugby union debut on Monday night - 18 months after he signed for Saracens.

The former Great Britain Rugby League international started at blind-side flanker for the Saracens Second XV in their Guinness A League game against Harlequins.

It was Farrell's first competitive game of rugby in either code since November 2004, when he captained Great Britain against Australia in the Tri-Nations final.

Farrell joined Saracens in March 2005, while recovering from a serious knee injury, in a £700,000 deal that was jointly funded by the Rugby Football Union.

England's head coach Andy Robinson has always believed Farrell could play a major part in next year's Rugby World Cup defence.

But his faith has been tested. Farrell was included in England's elite squad last year only to be struck down by a toe injury during a pre-season trial match.

That eventually required surgery and Farrell was back under the knife again after suffering a prolapsed disc in a car accident that ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.

But after a full pre-season Robinson again named Farrell in his 40-man elite squad, which is designed to form the basis of England's team for the next year.

When Farrell first signed for Saracens he was seen as a potential international inside centre. But when Alan Gaffney took over he decided Farrell's most effective position would be as a flanker - a position that does not even exist in rugby league.

It is a long way from the Metropolitan Police ground at Imber Court to the Stade de France in Paris. But Farrell's Saracens team-mates talk enthusiastically about the impact he made behind the scenes during his time on the sidelines - and Robinson hopes to tap into that experience.