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Andy Farrell

"From my very first encounters with Rob Harris back in 1999 it was clear that was he was an extremely talented physiotherapist who was able to offer something very different to most. The knee injury I was struggling with at the end of last year, however, clarified just how good he is. I knew from my experience with him at Wigan that he was the best, but when sourcing out information on the injury, Rob's name kept being put forward by his own Premiership peers and highly regarded specialists as the best in the business. Rob Harris worked with me from the operation right through to getting me back on the field. The rehabilitation was hard but it gave me  so much confidence to know that Rob had the knowledge and experience of my injury and knew precisely what he was talking about. He knew how hard to push me every step of the way and exactly what to expect next. The treatment and rehabilitation I had with Rob is the most complete and successful I have ever had, I trust him with my career."

For more than a decade Andy Farrell has been a giant of British Rugby League. He is without doubt one of the most talented players of his generation in whichever hemisphere you choose to draw comparison.

Born in Wigan in 1975, Farrell's potential was spotted by the Wigan club long before he signed on at Central Park from local amateurs Orrell St James back in October 1992. In that season he managed just a couple of appearances from the bench, but was soon a Wigan regular.

At 18 he made his Test debut against New Zealand in the third Test at Leeds in 1993, scoring a try in the victory. His transformation from amateur teenager to International player had taken just over a year.

He became a cornerstone of the British side from then, whether running at second-row, loose forward or even stand-off, the perfect professional on and off the park.

In 1993 he became the youngest winner of the Challenge Cup when he came on as a substitute aged 17 years 11 months.

He was made Wigan and Great Britain captain in 1996 when he was just 21. He was the youngest ever Great Britain captain and was named 'Man of Steel' in the same year - he won this a second time in 2004. He went on to make 34 appearances for Great Britain and also represented England in two World Cups.

In 1998 he led Wigan to win their first ever Grand Final and in 2001 he set a club record of 429 points in a season.

Farrell has captained Great Britain a record 24 times and in 2005, he was awarded the OBE for services to the game in the New Years honours list.

In 2005 he decided to switch codes, signing for Saracens, with the goal of wearing an England shirt in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

While he didn’t have quite the same astounding success as Jason Robinson, he added greater solidarity to the midfield when he was brought on as a substitute against Tonga. However, he picked up an injury in the quarter final against Australia and ended up being withdrawn.

In 2008 he was named co-captain of Saracens along with Steve Borthwick, he retired in 2009 to take up a coaching role at the Saracens in 2010.

Rugby League Honours

• Wigan Warriors 1991-2004: 368 appearances; 3135 points; 1 Super league Trophy; 4 Challenge Cup’s; 2 World Club Championships
• Great Britain: 29 caps, 24 as captain
• England: 5 caps
• Lancashire: 2003 Origin match

Rugby Union Honours

• Saracens 2005-
• England Elite Player Squad 2005-2006

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