Racing 92 fly-half Owen Farrell is expected to make his long-awaited return this Saturday in the Champions Cup clash against the Stormers, head coach Stuart Lancaster confirmed on Thursday.
The England international has been sidelined for two months following surgery for a persistent groin injury in November and is set to start in the pivotal match, which will determine Racing’s European fate.
“He trained well today. He is confident he can start the match. He may not play 80 minutes, obviously, because he is coming back from a long injury,” Lancaster said during a press conference.
Farrell was a marquee signing for Racing 92 this season but has yet to fully showcase his capabilities in Paris.
Despite playing eight of the first nine Top 14 matches while managing groin discomfort, his progress was halted by surgery to address a pubalgia issue.
Fixture
Investec Champions Cup
Racing 92
Stormers
The Parisians will also welcome back several other key players following their defeat to Glasgow last weekend. Scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec, lock Will Rowlands, flanker Cameron Woki, and prop Hassane Kolingar are all set to feature, though centre Gaël Fickou remains unavailable due to a thumb injury.
Teammates have expressed excitement over Farrell’s return, with back-rower Maxime Baudonne describing it as a significant boost to the squad. “Like every time an injured player returns, it’s a joy for the group to see him back on the pitch,” Baudonne said. “But he was never far away—he was almost a coach during those two months. Even on the road, he was there for warm-ups and spoke very often.”
Racing 92 faces a must-win scenario against the Cape Town-based Stormers, with qualification for the round of 16 also reliant on results from other group fixtures. Kick-off at La Défense Arena is at 8pm local time.
