Faz or Fiction?

Mark McCall announced earlier this season that he will be stepping down as Director of Rugby for the North London side following over a decade in charge—a tenure in which he led the club to multiple domestic and European trophies. He is set to be replaced by former head coach Brendan Venter (if you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favor and watch his legendary post-match interview regarding Sireli Bobo).  

Meanwhile, Farrell still has about a year left on his deal with the IRFU, which is set to expire after the 2027 World Cup in Australia. The links to Saracens are obvious: he spent several years there as a player before moving into coaching, and it is, of course, the current club of his son, Owen Farrell.  

The Statement

In an official statement, Saracens clarified:

"Saracens would like to address recent media speculation linking Andy Farrell with a coaching role at the club. Andy has not discussed his future with anyone on the board or ownership group, and we can categorically state—despite numerous reports to the contrary—that no offer has been made.  

Andy has deep personal ties to Saracens. He represented the club as a player between 2005 and 2009 and remains closely affiliated with the club through his family, as the father of Owen Farrell, one of the most significant players in Saracens' history and a current member of the squad.  

The misguided reporting is disrespectful to Brendan Venter, who will be assuming the DOR responsibilities from Mark McCall at the end of the 25/26 season. It is also disrespectful to Andy and the IRFU."  

The Verdict

It would appear that for now, these are just rumors. However, you can never say never—and as we've seen many times before, there is rarely smoke without fire