Rugby Union: Robinson Defends Disappearing Farrell

Andy Farrell's bid to establish himself in rugby union hit yet another obstacle yesterday when he was excused the final day of England's training camp in Loughborough, further lengthening the odds on the former Great Britain rugby league captain playing an influential role at next year's World Cup in France.

The England head coach Andy Robinson insisted he had always intended to release Farrell back to his club on Tuesday night in order to allow him to prepare for Saracens' EDF Energy Cup game against Cardiff on Sunday. He did reveal, however, that he had arranged a meeting with the Saracens director of rugby Alan Gaffney today to discuss how best to accelerate Farrell's 15-a-side education.

Although Farrell's union career is only two full games old - he switched codes in the summer of 2005 but was plagued by injury last season - there is already a whiff of conflict in the air. Gaffney sees Farrell as a blindside flanker but the England management appear far less convinced and have been using him at training as a second receiver in the backline.

"It's right for us to try him in different positions," stressed Robinson. "For a player with Andy Farrell's qualities the key thing is to have the ball in his hands. So far he hasn't had the ball that often. What we've got to look at is the best position to achieve that. That's what the discussions with Saracens will be about."

It could be a lively chat. Despite Robinson's protestations, Farrell had been billed to appear at yesterday's media session in Loughborough and it is understood he he only returned south on Tuesday after a phone conversation between Robinson and Gaffney.

The pot has also been stirred by Mike Ford, England's defence coach and Gaffney's predecessor at Saracens, who revealed yesterday the club had originally planned to play the 31-year-old ex-Wigan captain at No12.

"We'd have played him in the position that gives him most opportunity to create stuff and the plan was to play him at 12," admitted Ford, a former playing colleague at Wigan. "We don't want to bring him over from rugby league and leave all his distribution skills behind."

Robinson, however, is growing increasingly unhappy at the amount of adverse comment surrounding Farrell's apprenticeship and made his feelings abundantly clear.

"To judge him on only two performances I find bizarre. Physically he's been out of the game for 18 months. He's got to get his match fitness right and he's also playing a sport he's never played before. It's going to take at least three to four months before we even start to see the best of him. We've got to give this guy time to develop. Make your judgments on him in three months' time."

Even Robinson, however, would only commit himself to hoping that Farrell would be "pushing to be involved" in next year's England squads and the clock is already ticking loudly in terms of next year's World Cup. The Rugby Football Union is already getting twitchy, with chief executive Francis Baron having made clear this week that future big-money league signings would be closely scrutinised.

The hope must be that, between them, club and country can combine to give Farrell the platform he clearly craves and forwards coach John Wells insists there are precedents. "When I was at Leicester it took Henry Tuilagi only three games to move from centre to the back-row. I think it's individual to each player. There's no doubt Andy Farrell has got some really good qualities as a rugby player. Whether we can get them out quick enough remains to be seen."

Bath and England's Olly Barkley, meanwhile, will miss the chance of an early meeting with the Welsh centre Gavin Henson this weekend as he continues to recuperate from a testicle injury that he sustained during the match against Worcester last month.

Barkley, one of the leading contenders to wear the England No12 shirt in next month's autumn internationals - which start against New Zealand at Twickenham on November 5 - required an operation to repair the damage and will sit out his club's EDF Energy Cup game against Henson's Ospreys at the Recreation Ground on Saturday. Instead, he now hopes to return for Bath when the Guinness Premiership resumes against Saracens at Vicarage Road on Sunday week.