The 33-year-old, who arrived on the tour last week as cover for injured Elliot Daly, is one of two outside backs amongst the game’s replacements, with Marcus Smith joining him.
Scotland’s Ben White opens at scrum-half on Saturday, with Jac Morgan being given another opportunity to shine at open-side flanker. Henry Pollock and Ben Earl round out the back row, with Scotland centre pairing Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones also featuring.
Assuming he is introduced as a substitute, Farrell will be playing his first match in over two months following a concussion in an European Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Lyon at the beginning of May.
It was his last outing during a lacklustre one-season tenure with French club Racing 92, with Farrell’s quest for form derailed by a nagging groin injury. Farrell ended his Parisian sojourn early, returning to Saracens earlier this summer.
Should head coach Andy Farrell choose his son as one of the 23-man party for the opening Test against the Wallabies on July 19, it would be a dramatic comeback to Test rugby.
Farrell took a break from international rugby following the 2023 Rugby World Cup to focus on his and his family’s welfare, before the transfer to Racing rendered him unavailable for selection by England.
His final Test is the third-place play-off victory over Argentina in October 2023. He’s the same as anyone else who had to get up to speed quite a bit,” said Andy Farrell of Owen.
“The skill of this point in the tour is being mentally switched on as much as you can be – for all the players, not just the lads who are new into the group.”
Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan, who has thus far had his tour restricted by illness and injury to 50 minutes in the victory over the Queensland Reds, begins at full-back what may prove to be a Test starting opportunity.
Blair Kinghorn, his strongest competitor for the role, is being evaluated after sustaining a knock during Wednesday’s victory over the Brumbies. I don’t think it is as bad as it could have been,” said Steve Farrell, with the Scot undergoing a scan in Adelaide on Thursday.
“It was something nothingy really, just a rugby accident. Marcus Smith, who began the defeat by Argentina in Dublin at full-back, has been limited to a substitute role ever since. Fin Smith is preferred at fly-half.
Tadhg Beirne leads the Lions from the second row. Although this is the last game before the Lions play Australia, it is anticipated that the Test team will be closer to the one that defeated the Brumbies on Wednesday, with Andy Farrell employing the best Australian Super Rugby team as a dress rehearsal for his most probable line-up.
