Cadan Murley: Getting one over Owen Farrell was big motivation for Harlequins in Derby Weekend win over Saracens in Gallagher PREM
Updated 12/10/2025 at 22:48 GMT+1
Harlequins and England winger Cadan Murley said the return of Owen Farrell to Saracens provided some extra motivation ahead of the Derby Weekend clash between the two sides. The hosts came into the game at The Stoop searching for their first win of the season and got the better of their local rivals in a feisty encounter. Watch and stream the Gallagher PREM live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Highlights: Smith stars as Quins beat Sarries
Video credit: TNT Sports
Cadan Murley admitted he and his Harlequins team-mates were motivated to "get one over" Owen Farrell ahead of their derby clash against Saracens.
Quins welcomed their local rivals to The Stoop in the final clash of the Gallagher PREM’s first Derby Weekend of the season, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
And after a bruising and tactical 80-minute battle between the sides, it was the home side who prevailed 20-14 to claim bragging rights and pick up their first win of the season.
Asked where the extra spice in this fixture comes from, Murley told TNT Sports: "Sarries hate us. I saw the VT of Nick Tompkins saying, ‘We don’t like them, they don’t like us’, which is fair enough. So this game just has that little bit more niggle, it’s just so feisty and ferocious."
There was also another element at play. This fixture was missing Farrell last season, after he left Saracens at the end of the 2023/24 campaign to join Top 14 outfit Racing 92.
However, after a year in France, the 34-year-old returned to his boyhood club in the summer.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/10/12/image-b5157c79-d18e-48f4-aa73-39dcde265342-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Earl walks it over the line after inch-perfect Farrell kick
Video credit: TNT Sports
In his first spell, Farrell spent 16 years at Sarries from 2008 to 2024 and was a constant thorn in Quins’ side during that time, so there was some added satisfaction to the win for the hosts.
"Faz being back as well, he obviously missed the two games last year where we won. That was a big talking point in the week, trying to get one over him, so it was a good result," Murley added.
‘Maturing Smith controlled the game brilliantly’
Quins are known for their entertaining and expansive rugby but opted for a more pragmatic approach to the derby. And it paid dividends.
Rather than running from all areas of the pitch and taking the high-octane approach, the gameplan centred on kicking for territory and playing in Sarries' half.
England international Marcus Smith, back after his time off following the British & Irish Lions tour in the summer, was key to that proving successful.
Smith scored the first try of the game, was excellent off the tee, and largely kept Saracens at bay with his in-game tactical kicking.
- Warburton identifies one area Arundell must improve to become world class
- Pollock putting 'a lot of pressure on himself' with 'predictions'
It was an all-round display that earned Smith the Player of the Match award. Murley heaped praise on the 26-year-old for his impact on the result and the way his game is maturing.
"His energy is first and foremost, infectious," Murley added. "I've never met a bloke want to win so much in every little thing he does. He's so competitive, whether that's in training, whether that's in little games, and he brings it onto the pitch. And I think it just raises everyone's level around him, because he drives those standards.
"[The] boys obviously getting after his kicks as well, but he just sees the game. And I think that's come with him maturing as well. It's probably a bit of the game where people didn't really see him as but he controlled that game brilliantly today."
Watch and stream the Gallagher PREM, Autumn Nations Series and Premiership Women's Rugby live on TNT Sports and discovery+
Related Topics
Thoughts?