England Rugby Star Faces Selection Axe After Head Injury Scare

Owen Farrell’s bid for a British and Irish Lions selection faced a major setback when he sustained a head injury during Racing 92’s 29-15 defeat by Lyon in the Challenge Cup semifinal at Matmut Stadium de Gerland.

This early exit in what was meant to be his final audition for the Lions and Irish squad, coached by his father, Andy Farrell, adds to a season already hampered by injuries for the England record points scorer.

Farrell, playing his first game at Racing, was forced off the field with the match still scoreless; despite tries from Diego Escobar and Kleo Labarbe, Racing 92 couldn’t overcome a determined Lyon side.

After Farrell’s withdrawal, Racing struggled with goal-kicking. They solely missed shots on goal, and his quality and experience were a miss; they were beaten.

Firstly, Racing’s Tristan Tedder scored a penalty, but minutes later Leo Berdeu equalized for the hosts with a three-point kick.

Lyon grew, with Vincent Rattez scoring a try and Berdeu doing his penalty thing. Racing’s Diego Escobar scored a try from a 10-8 halftime score.

After the break, Berdeu scored a penalty, and Beka Saginadze's cross was met and converted to give Lyon a 20-8 lead. After a few minutes, Tedder met Kleo Labarde's cross to reduce the deficit to five points.

Lyon then revamped in the final minutes, with Berdeu converting three penalties to give the home side a deserved 29-15 result. The hero of the night was Berdeu, who impressed with his attacking prowess.

Lyon’s fly-half Leo was instrumental in scoring 19 points, including a try from Rattez and another from Beka Saginadze, securing Lyon’s place in the Challenge Cup final against Bath in three weeks' time.