Chris Farrell's big day dawns after circuitous route to the top

In the 2010-11 Ulster Schools Senior Cup quarter-final replay between Methody College and Campbell College in the former's grounds at Pirrie Park, Methody drew level with the game's last play by scoring a try.

The conversion to win the game was in front of the posts. Campbell’s Cup looked over but their huge number 12 used every inch of his 6ft 5in frame to sprint from the line and charge the kick down, so earning his team another replay.

Chris Farrell has always been determined about, and dedicated to, his rugby.

“He never gives up,” says his former underage coach at Farrell’s home town club of Clogher Valley, Stephen Bothwell. “That’s one thing about him.”

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Campbell would win the second replay at a neutral venue, Shaw’s Bridge, and went on to play RBAI, or ‘Inst’, in the final, which they won 18-11. Farrell – partnered in midfield by Christopher Best, a cousin of Rory and Simon Best – scored a try and was man of the match

It was his only year at Campbell, having moved there from Fivemiletown College, or High School as it was then, to complete his A levels in upper sixth. In doing so, he became a boarder, but as he’s also shown throughout his career, Farrell embraces new challenges readily.

Farrell grew up in Fivemiletown, a village in south Tyrone and a short distance from the border with Fermanagh. His initial passion was football, and he played centre half for a local team, before taking up rugby when going to Fivemiletown College and joining Clogher Valley RFC at the age of 11. It was where his older brother, Dean played.

They have a younger sister, Katie-Jane. Their father, David, runs his own business, Farrell Fencing Products, in the town while their mother, Janet, is a classroom assistant in the local Carntall Primary School.

“It’s very much an agricultural area,” says Bothwell. “I’m a farmer myself. If you’re above your station, you’ll be told so very quickly.”

Bothwell was one of Farrell’s coaches at Clogher Valley through those early years with their U-14s, U-16s and U-18s.

“We always played him at centre. For a big fella we could have put him in the pack but he always had the skills and ability to play in the backs.”

Work ethic

In Farrell’s U-16 years with Clogher Valley, Bothwell recalls them reaching Ulster league and cup finals, losing to Ballynahinch and winning against Portadown in Dromore.

“I remember the Ballynahinch boys saying ‘that’s some centre you have’. And he was always good for a score in any of those games, coming onto the ball at pace he was a big man to stop.”

“He was a quiet fella but he had a serious work ethic. At 15 or 16 he was on his own in the gym in Clogher Valley at 7am and then went to school. Playing for Ireland was always a big yearning in him. He worked hard at it and thank goodness he got there. Fair dues to him.”

John McKinney played an influential role in bringing Farrell from Fivemiletown College to Campbell College. McKinney has been with the school for 39 years as a geography and PE teacher, and gamesmaster.

“He initially came as a boarder which was a big step for him and them as a family,” says McKinney. “He’s a country boy and came up to Campbell in Upper Sixth as a callow 16/17-year-old in a very cosmopolitan and international community.”

This didn’t faze Farrell.

Like everybody who comes across them, McKinney describes Farrell and his family as “good, grounded people”, adding: “He settled in unbelievably well. He’s such a sensible boy in all respects. He worked hard in the classroom. I think he was due to be the head boy at Fivemiletown High School, and we rated him as a person very highly. He was someone who people could relate to really strongly.”

William Boyd, who was a chemistry teacher at Fivemiletown College, and was also manager of the Ulster Youths (U-18) team, has known Farrell since he was 11.

“I took him to Ulster training when he was only 16,” says Boyd, “and the two coaches there, Derek Suffern and Jamie Turkington, identified him as soon as they saw him at that first trial. Derek was coaching in Ballynahinch and Jamie was coaching in Dungannon, and within the first month Derek said: ‘Right, he’ll be going to Ballynahinch’. And Jamie joked: ‘You’ll not have enough money for him. He’ll be coming to Dungannon’.”

Farrell played for the Ulster Youths from the age of 16 for three seasons, and for two years on the Irish Youths (U-18s).

Farrell’s first year in the Ulster academy, 2011-12, went well. The then Ulster coach, Brian McLaughlin, gave him his debut at 18 against Leinster at the RDS.

Anterior cruciate

He also went on to play in all of the Ireland U-20s Six Nations matches, and at the 2012 Junior World Championships. But the following season, while playing the final U-20 interprovincial against Munster, Farrell tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

After nine months on the sidelines, he returned only to break the fifth metatarsal in his foot while playing for the Ulster Ravens against the Connacht Eagles. That sidelined him for half of the 2013-14 season.

Coupled with the logjam of midfielders at Ulster, what with Stuart McCloskey, Jared Payne, Darren Cave, Stuart Olding, Luke Marshall et al, Farrell resolved to move abroad.

The then Grenoble coach Bernard Jackman had done some research on Farrell, through coaches and a limited number of clips, and arranged to meet him with his agent, former Ulster outside centre Ryan Constable, at Dublin Airport circa April 2014.

“I was flying back to France. We had a bit of food in the departures lounge, and I was massively impressed with him. The reality is when you are coaching abroad, you get approached by a lot of Irish players who say they want to leave and very few actually have the cahoolas to do it. He just backed himself and was very comfortable in his own skin, very sociable and I knew that he wouldn’t struggle in that environment.

“I sat on the plane going: ‘wow that’s a very mature, well brought-up young man’. You sit down with players and sometimes you get a really good feeling, and sometimes you don’t.’ He was someone that just knew what he needed to do and was prepared to go and do that.”

Within a couple of weeks the deal was agreed, and Farrell took French lessons in Belfast before arriving in prime shape that June.

“In France he bought into everything,” Jackman. “He skied on a Wednesday. In the summer he went to the lake. He travelled all around. He was just one of those guys who just immersed himself, and down in Munster I’m sure he’s popular because he’s kind of like Tommy Bowe’s personality. He’s just a likeable fella.”

“He’s just a real athlete but I think a lot of people don’t see past his physical size, and expect him to be just a one-trick pony, to crash the ball up at 12. We didn’t see him as a 12 at all. We saw him as 13 because of his skillset.

“Someone like Joe, who does his homework, would have seen that and when you play Chris Farrell at 13 it changes up how you can attack particularly off set-piece. I saw it for three years in the top 14 where myself and Mike [Prendergast] were never limited in how ambitious we wanted to be in terms of our strike plays. In actual fact we were better equipped because of his skill set.”

A reputation

In one of Farrell’s first games, away to Clermont and opposing Wesley Fofana, Jackman recalls: “He just kept looking for the ball, whereas most players, in their first time in Clermont, often go into their shell. He’s level-headed and relaxed, but then he crosses the white line he changes a little bit. We call them Test match animals, and he is someone who can rise to the occasion.”

Farrell is also a very good defender according to Jackman.

“He would have been stretched with us because we were often all hands to the pump.He’s a good communicator and that’s really important in the 13 channel. Chris does make good reads, and he’s well able to hit, and stick as well, and make good impact tackles.”

Jackman recalls a 42-38 defeat at home to Racing.

"I think he's pretty much stood up every time up until this point," says Jones.

“He was outstanding and I remember ‘Rog’ being blown away by him, because as Irish over there you look out for each other. Rog met him afterwards and said to me ‘that kid is impressive’.”

In three seasons with Grenoble, Farrell played 74 games and built up quite a reputation.

“Bordeaux were really keen to sign him, Clermont were interested. Saracens had a really good look at him as well but I think Rassie [Erasmus] and Joe had a big influence on getting him back to Ireland and Munster,” says Jackman.

Munster are delighted with their 24-year-old indigenous capture.

"I think he's the whole package," says their backs coach Felix Jones.

“His size, his movement ability, his passing ability and the age profile; when people see him they assume he’s in his late 20s because of his physical development. He looks like he could be a pretty special player.”

He arrived in June and, not surprisingly, Farrell blended in immediately.

“Seamless,” says Jones. “He’s a really easy-going guy and gets on well with absolutely everyone. He has a really good manner about him in training, never a guy who is freaking about this or too relaxed about that.

“People think he’s just this bosher, but he’s a brilliant threat with the ball in hand. In the Ospreys game,” adds Jones, in reference to Farrell’s third outing with Munster in September, “he fended Justin Tipuric about 45 metres out and set up the try that swung the game in our balance.”

Biggest test

“In defence he’s shown an ability to make some pretty reads and not just be happy to accept the contact and then to win that moment as it’s happening. He actually is initiating collisions and putting his body on the line. He doesn’t always get it right but he’s definitely shown the ambition to go for those moments.”

This is Farrell’s biggest test yet.

“I think he’s pretty much stood up every time up until this point,” says Jones. “Look, any time we’ve put it to him he’s been well able. He’s got that size and agility, and I think he has all the tools to have a good game. This will be a different environment but I think he has the quality around him to help him.”

Farrell hasn’t left his roots behind. McKinney celebrated his 60th birthday recently, and amongst the video collage of well wishes conveyed to him was one from Farrell.

“Chris didn’t have to do that, up to his eyes in pro sport. He had done his own wee video and fired it up to my son,” says McKinney. “That’s again a reflection on the human being as much as anything else.”

Bothwell now coaches in Enniskillen Grammar School, and Farrell has managed to take up Bothwell’s requests to take the occasional training session.

“He came down one Saturday afternoon, and had no bother watching the boys and giving them some advice, and getting the whistle in his mouth himself.”

Boyd also tells of Farrell coming to Clogher Valley a week after winning his second cap against Argentina.

“The president of the club, William Trimble, asked Chris to come to the pre-match lunch, and he said ‘that’s fine’. He chatted to everybody. He wasn’t strutting about as if to say ‘I’m an Irish international’. He had lunch, stayed to watch the match and chatted to the players afterwards. He’s a credit to himself and his family.”

It’s why those who’ve encountered Farrell on his circuitous route to today’s Six Nations debut will be rooting for him.