Franks hits back at critics
Owen Franks wants to set the record straight.
Tighthead prop Franks, a veteran of 108 tests, was the biggest casualty when the All Blacks’ 31-man World Cup squad was revealed on Wednesday. Unless required as a replacement in Japan his international rugby days are numbered.
Because he’s already contracted to join English Premiership club Northampton in November, where he will join older brother and ex-All Blacks prop Ben, there will be no chance for redemption in 2020.
But, firstly, Franks says Nepo Laulala and Angus Ta’avao, who will operate at tighthead in his absence, deserve their places in the World Cup squad.
He also appreciated coach Steve Hansen making the effort to call him a few days before the squad was announced to let him know in advance he had missed the cut.
What Franks can’t cop, though, is speculation that he can no longer get around the field as quickly as he used to, or that his career is in decline.
‘‘The frustrating thing is that there’s talk out there that I’m slowing down and age has caught up with me,’’ Franks said.
‘‘I really don’t buy it. I think I’m much better shape, possibly even better than the last World Cup. I’m not just comparing myself to Angus and Nepo – those guys thoroughly deserve their spots and to be fair they have got a bit of pace on me.’’
At 31 years, Franks is still relatively young for a prop. So he bristles when he hears people saying his performances are on the slide. He’s also unhappy when it’s suggested a shoulder injury he suffered during Super Rugby has affected his play. But more on that later.
While he accepts Laulala and Ta’avao are faster around the field, he reckons his body is still in great nick and if his critics were aware of how many painkillers he consumed to manage a painful Achilles tendon a few years ago they might revise their judgment.
‘‘If I compare myself to me three years ago, there’s no doubt I’m moving better and am in a lot better shape,’’ Franks said.
‘‘I have worked pretty hard at that. I have always been pretty honest in my selfassessment. I am harder on myself than what anyone else is.’’
Franks had surgery on an Achilles tendon in 2017, which forced him to skip the Rugby Championship and northern tour. Prior to then he was forced to manage the pain for most of his career, and his mobility was compromised.
The day after games he couldn’t put pressure on the leg, forcing him to hop down the stairs. It became part of his weekly routine.
Following surgery, he says, he began to reap the benefits.
‘‘Before that, it was up to years on end of dealing with it. Probably up to 2017 I was at my worst in terms of mobility, running wise. I feel I have been rebuilding since then and going from strength to strength.
‘‘That’s why when I hear that I have been slowing down in the last couple of years, it’s just plain wrong.
‘‘I know where I was at a few years ago. I had to have pain killers just to be able to run, I was running like s…
‘‘Now it is totally different. I still have a long career ahead of me.’’
The selectors’ decision to axe Franks is controversial for several reasons.
Clearly the All Blacks want to play at a fast clip on the hard grounds in Japan, but the decision to ignore him isn’t without risk; Franks is still regarded as one of the world’s best scrummagers.
Then there’s his experience. He has earned more test caps than the five props for Japan put together.
Dark clouds began to gather in the wake of the All Blacks’ nightmare 47-26 loss to the Wallabies in Perth on August 10, when Franks was on the park for 50 minutes before being replaced by Ta’avao. He had to watch from the bench as the Australians, who relished the chance to exploit the extra space provided by the red carding of Scott Barrett in the 39th minute, recorded their biggest win over the All Blacks.
Few dared believe that would be Franks’ last test, ending a career that yielded him two World Cup winners medals. He was dumped for the Bledisloe Cup decider in Auckland, forcing him to reflect on the All Blacks’ implosion in Perth.
‘‘I will put my hand up in that game [in Perth]. It was a tough game and the Aussies played awesome,’’ he says. ‘‘But I felt the way I was moving and the effort I put in was, you know, right up there.
‘‘There are always things you can do better in a rugby game, but that’s the way it goes. You can’t control everything, to a certain extent, about how the other team are going to play.’’
Franks’ illustrious career with the All Blacks wasn’t supposed to end like this.
The plan was to go to the tournament in Japan, help the team win the World Cup for the third time in succession and then rug up for a chilly winter in the East Midlands in England where he will work under former Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd.
He discovered how cruel sport can be, when Hansen contacted him with the bad news. It was a short conversation.
Asked if he had an inkling that the selectors were going to drop a bombshell that would create headlines on news sites around the world, Franks said he ‘‘knew it would be close’’ because of the competition he faced from Laulala and Ta’avao.
‘‘I knew it would be tough but apart from that, not really.
‘‘Obviously the Perth test didn’t go great. I had a catchup with Shag [Hansen] a week after that and he said it was going to be a tough call. And he gave me a call a couple of days before the team naming to sort of get my head around it.’’
Franks made seven appearances for the Crusaders this year, all in a starter’s jersey. He would have made more if he hadn’t suffered a shoulder injury that could have ended any chance of returning to the field this year. Rather than have surgery, he elected to undergo intense rehabilitation as well as stem cell therapy.
‘‘That’s another perception, that my shoulder held me back. But it’s good. When you have those therapies it’s like the icing on the cake. It’s not the one-fix drug kind of thing.’’
Franks is open to a return for Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup, but is reluctant to take the place of someone who is going to commit to the province for a longer term, or is chasing a Super Rugby contract.
He’s keen to assist in anyway he can, before he and his family leaves Christchurch for Northampton.
There are no regrets, he adds. He wants the All Blacks to do well in Japan and emphasises Laulala and Ta’avao deserve their spots in the squad.
‘‘The main emotion is disappointment,’’ Franks says.
‘‘But I can look myself in the mirror and say I tried my best. Obviously accepting failure is never great. You think ‘what could I have done better’? I have done that.
‘‘It’s probably been harder on my family and the people who have supported me.’’
‘‘The frustrating thing is that there’s talk out there that I’m slowing down and age has caught up with me. I really don’t buy it.’’
‘‘If I compare myself to me three years ago, there’s no doubt I’m moving better and I am in a lot better shape.’’
‘‘I can look myself in the mirror and say I tried my best. Obviously accepting failure is never great. You think ‘what could I have done better’? I have done that.’’