The giddy reception waiting for Herbie Farnworth at the Sharks Stadium in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla feels more like a welcome for One Direction. Teenage girls desperate for selfies, ready to hand him personalised T-shirts and Taylor Swift-style friendship bracelets.
He is a poster boy of Australian rugby league. His face is on flyers for local sports bars, where you are more likely to stumble upon one of his NRL matches than the British & Irish Lions tour. League is king in these parts.
For context, Farnworth is a 25-year-old from Burnley. He moved to Australia just before his A-levels and has hardly looked back. A couple of code-switching coaches – the likes of Martin Gleeson and Anthony Seibold – reckon he would walk into the England union team, so I went to watch him play for the Dolphins on Friday night.
In the 70th minute, he was shovelled the ball deep in his own half. He beat six defenders – all pace, power and footwork – to score a spectacular solo try. Gleeson and Seibold, who both coached England under the reign of Eddie Jones, are experts in rugby league and he quickly validated their claims that he is the best centre in the world right now.
Watching through the lens of a rugby union reporter, there are few more explosive midfielders in the international game. Even Andy Farrell is known to be a fan. So, do not be surprised if Premiership clubs are eyeing him up for a code switch after the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
‘Herbie probably has the best skillset of anyone in rugby league to make that switch to union,’ said Seibold, who now coaches the Manly Sea Eagles. ‘He would be just as good as Joseph Sua’ali’i, if not better.
Herbie Farnworth has been hailed as the best centre in the world – in rugby union or league
The Dolphins star was born in Burnley but has made his name in Australia
He has a huge fanbase, with a rockstar-like reception greeting him at every match
‘He’s powerful, he’s got great agility and he’s really strong with his contact defensively. He’s got all the attributes to be an excellent 13. Looking at the English backs at the moment, there are not too many players as powerful as Herbie.
‘Eddie Jones watched him play quite a bit. We had a couple of conversations about him. It would have been a punt back then but now, a few years later, he’s really dominated out here. He’s outstanding.’
After spending half an hour talking to his teenage fan club, Farnworth stopped by for a chat. A likeable character, he told the team bus to go without him so he could speak to Mail Sport.
‘You’re over here for the Lions tour?’ he asks. ‘I’ve been following it. I always try to watch England and the Lions. I follow a few of the boys on Instagram and I wish them all the best.’
Farnworth’s Lancashire accent has not faded through his fascinating journey to the top of the game. His uncle, Brian Foley, was a famous rugby league scout who brought him over to Australia during the school holidays as a teenager.
He played a few games for a local team on the Gold Coast and was spotted by a scout at the Brisbane Broncos.
‘I started off in union and then went to league. I went to school in Skipton in Yorkshire and played union for Wharfedale. I played about a year of union then went to Wigan St Pats in my second year of high school. As soon as I started playing league, I loved it and I was away.
‘I’ve been here eight years now, moved out in 2017. I signed for the Brisbane Broncos when I was 16 and I moved out the week after my 17th birthday. I just slowly grinded away here until I made the first grade.
Farnworth is known for his power, pace and dancing feet to beat defenders
He has made it his goal to star for England at the 2026 World Cup and then play both league and union
‘I obviously miss my family but I love it in Brisbane. It’s winter now but it’s 23 degrees. I’m walking around with my shirt off getting a tan, cruising around the Gold Coast in my budgie smugglers. If it was winter in England you’d get light for about four hours a day!’
There were times in his early 20s when Farnworth was tempted to move home. During Jones’ England era, Wasps made him a contract offer but he opted to stay put. It is fair to say he made the right decision.
‘I almost made the switch home a couple of times as a young kid,’ he says. ‘I had some talks with Wasps. You get homesick and it would have been the easy option because I was missing my family.
‘It was tough at times but I have a great lifestyle and I like the Aussie people. I’m definitely glad I stuck it out. It’s a massive league country here, it’s pretty cool.
‘I’m a true Englishman, of course. I love England but I’m happy here. I’ll be back home for the Ashes (rugby league) tour at the end of the year and then I’ll stay there for Christmas. I want to get down to Turf Moor when I’m back.’
In Australia, it is league that has the financial clout over union. The trend is for players to move away from the 15-man code. So, if he was given a free pick of the Lions, who would Farnworth like to see jumping codes?
‘Probably Marcus Smith,’ he says. ‘He’s got great feet, plays with his eyes up. He would translate over to league pretty well. It would be pretty cool playing with him on an edge. Get him over to the Dolphins!’
Farnworth’s current contract in Australia runs for two more years. One of his biggest goals is to star for England in the 2026 Rugby League World Cup. Who knows if his head would be turned after that, but money men at the RFU and the Premiership would be foolish not to make enquiries.
He has six tries in six England caps, including at the 2021 World Cup against Samoa at St James’ Park in Newcastle
Farnworth takes time out to speak to Mail Sport’s Nik Simon in Sydney
‘It’s very nice of people to say those things but it’s not really on the radar,’ he reveals. ‘I’ve not been approached by anybody. I’m really happy in league. I’ve still got another two years on my contract, so that’s not happening any time soon.
‘I’m super happy here. I love this club and I’ve still got a lot of years left. It’s definitely a goal eventually in my career, whenever that comes, to play for England in both league and union.
‘But I’ve got the league World Cup coming in 2026 and I’m definitely eyeing that up. The Ashes is my next big target; to do something really cool for the country and hopefully lift up rugby league. They’re my next goals and whatever comes after that we’ll go after.’
How about a future Lions tour? ‘A Lion? I’d love to be. That’s something down the track.’
