Farrell - Twickenham's £600,000 gamble

Testing times ahead for country, club and player as he starts down road on which others have stumbled

The trouble that union followers have with accepting their brethren from the 13-a-side game is not one of generosity of spirit. And when it comes to generosity of cash, Saracens' investment in a 30-year-old who has been inactive all year with a dodgy knee and has missed both pre-season friendlies with a dodgy toe is their own look-out.

No, the twin hurdles to a smooth passage across what used to be the great divide lie in the Rugby Football Union's part in the deal and in the proposition that union can be adequately learned by a man who has played it precisely once before in its full version.

Farrell is, or - perhaps this is the correct declension - has been a thoroughly eminent rugby league player. At a Saracens training session open to the media earlier this month, he kicked the ball beautifully and a long way, showed a little of his range of passing and applied his 6ft 4in and 18st bulk to a few quickly dented tackle bags.

However, on a hot and sunny day Farrell wore tracksuit bottoms, possibly to hide the heavy strapping on his knee visible in photographs taken at other sessions. The toe since trodden on in a Possibles v Probables match has further delayed his debut, and he is now unlikely to start against Wasps at Twickenham next Saturday. He is restricted to "off-feet training" - weights in the gym and the like.

All we have to go on is a distant memory of 1996 - the year Farrell became Great Britain's youngest-ever captain at 21 - when he played union in the second row for Wigan in a cross-code challenge against Bath. That, and the money spent by the RFU in jointly funding the move in the same way as Jason Robinson joined Sale and Henry Paul moved to Gloucester.

Five years after Clive Woodward unsuccessfully included Farrell in a clutch of league targets, the Saracens coaching team of Steve Diamond and Mike Ford say they set the ball rolling again last Christmas.

England have the World Cup in 2007 on their horizon, and Farrell is already in the élite national squad. The exact terms of his three-year contract are unknown, but in March the RFU's performance director, Chris Spice, told this newspaper: "We had a long discussion at the board. It was not a five-minute decision. We had a strong submission from the [England] coaching team and eventually went for it.

"People had varying views on whether it was value for money. The finance guys could see how much £600,000 could do for the community game, for example."

Then there are the bullish words of Diamond and Ford. Code-crossing coaches litterthe world's top union set-ups - Ford, a former Great Britain international, has recently handled the defence of Ireland and the midweek Lions in New Zealand - and unsurprisingly they claim there is little difference between the sports.

"Union folk get bogged down with what number Farrell will wear," says Ford. "When we talked to [England's head coach] Andy Robinson about Farrell he said, 'Oh, you can't play him at seven' and we said, 'Why not?' Because Andy [Robinson] was a seven himself, he views the position on his terms. We don't care about numbers on jerseys."

Farrell is a world-class goal-kicker under pressure. If it comes down to him potting a penalty to win a Premiership or Heineken Cup final, just as he did in the inaugural Super League grand final in 1998, few might raise a moan that he may not instinctively understand the running lines of the threequarters.

Though he jokes of ignorance of the lawbook he has spent long hours studying sequences of play prepared for him by Saracens' video analyst, Adam Grainger.

In any case, Diamond and Ford - together with the former Wigan conditioning coach Nigel Ashley-Jones - have a pragmatic approach to competing in the Premiership. Saracens will kick the ball from their 22 and, says Ford, if they go through three phases successfully six times in a match, they will win.

Farrell finished his league career at prop, but was better known as a loose-forward, so he ought to be formidable at full pelt as first or second receiver. "He will start at inside-centre," says Ford, "but if he's wearing 12 and standing at six in the scrum or line-out, who cares? There are roughly 50 set-pieces in a game - say, 14 scrums and 30 line-outs - but more than 200 rucks. What you do with those rucks goes a long way to deciding the result."

In the same vein, Ford says Shane Byrne, the Ireland hooker signed in the summer, can fill in at scrum-half, and Alan Dickens, the scrum-half recruited from Leeds, can step into the line-out. Time will tell if such multi-tasking is a cul-de-sac down which Saracens will do a lot of different things not very well.

Are specialist positions so easily learnt? It smacks of a draughts player taking up chess, saying: "Well, it's only moving wooden pieces around a board, isn't it?"

Arguably, the evidence of Robinson, Paul, Iestyn Harris and Brad Thorn in New Zealand is that an incomplete grasp of the game is the best that can be expected of league signings; a trade-off of outstanding acumen in some skills and naïveté in others.

Farrell, his wife and their 13-year-old son Owen watched the friendly win at Bedford last weekend. Together with daughters Alisha and Gracie, the family will take up residence in Harpenden, a green and pleasant town in Hertfordshire, next month.

It is a short journey to Saracens' new training facilities at the University of Hertfordshire near Hatfield. It used to be a journey too far between amateur union and professional league, until the declaration of the open game 10 years ago this very weekend dismantled the barrier.

At Wigan, Farrell often trained alongside the union men from Orrell: "shiny shorts" and "rah-rahs" side by side. "Both are fantastic sports that are moving forward," he says. "The gap is as close as it's ever been, and I think that's great." Otherwise there are quips about warmer weather and a lack of pies.

Ford says the biggest danger to the new arrival is getting smashed back on the fringes of the ruck, where in league you cannot be touched. A few thumps should soon alert Farrell to the difference. The rest of us can only continue to speculate what kind of union career will be forged by the one-time Man of Steel.

A big year for...Six with a point to prove this season

The great homecoming: Mark Regan (Bristol)

Now a hardened 33-year-old veteran, Regan has come full circle in his career. Born in Bristol, the hooker has joined the newcomers from Leeds, having also played for Bath, and won honours with England and the British & Irish Lions. He plays every game as if it's his first and will be a decided asset as Bristol attempt to make themselves a Premiership force.

The points machine: Andy Goode (Leicester)

Finished last season with 382 points - the most in the Premiership and Heineken Cup - but no silverware. Leicester won the League but lost in the play-offs, and reached the semi-finals in Europe. Goode had big shoes to fill following the Springbok No 10 Jaco van der Westhuyzen and did so with aplomb, earning two England caps off the bench. The Tigers will turn to Goode for points - and to help end a three-year trophy drought.

The proven newcomer: Justin Marshall (Leeds)

Instead of adding to his record (for a back) All Black Test cap total of 77, Marshall decided to give Leeds the benefit of his experience. The scrum-half played in the friendly 12-7 win against Edinburgh and said: "There is an old saying in New Zealand that if you're getting the ugly wins, you'll be doing all right." In all, winning ugly could make for a pretty good season.

The big comeback: Alex Sanderson (Saracens)

A neck injury kept him out of the game for seven months last season, and he only managed five appearances. Brother of Pat, the former Sale captain is a tough-tackling back-row, but will his body stand up to the hits?

The considered gamble: Quinton Davids (Gloucester)

Capped seven times by the Springboks, the 6ft 7in lock has the ability, though his desire has been often questioned in his native South Africa. The man who Geo Cronje "didn't want to share a room with", Davids arrives here on a one-year contract in November. If he is fit he could be a big signing; the task for Gloucester is to get him into optimum physical shape.

The great entertainer: Carlos Spencer (Northampton)

"King Carlos" to his fans. The All Black playmaker has it all; he is a fly-half who is a joy to watch when on form. Widely respected as one of the game's big talents, he has enough left in the tank to light up the Premiership.

By Gary Lemke