Franks is right at home
If you look close enough, you can still see a flicker of the Owen Franks who first came to Nelson.
Tighthead props have a reputation to protect and Franks is no different. A grizzled veteran of 100 appearances for New Zealand, his test career has taken him all over the world, but never the ‘‘big smoke’’.
On Saturday, Trafalgar Park will host the All Blacks for the first time, when they take on Argentina. It’s a special occasion for people right across the region, including Barbara Franks who still lives in Motueka where grandson Owen was born 30 years ago.
‘‘Nelson was like coming to the big smoke. My nana would sometimes take us to the movies and that was a real treat,’’ Owen Franks said yesterday.
Franks will head out to Motueka tomorrow, before his grandmother, uncle and cousins all come into town for Saturday’s test.
‘‘It’s going to be awesome,’’ he said.
A far cry from 2011, when Franks and the Crusaders called Trafalgar Park home for three matches, in the wake of the earthquake that devastated Christchurch and wrecked the team’s Lancaster Park fortress.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the Crusaders had their scheduled round-two match against the Hurricanes declared no-result. They then came to Nelson to play the Waratahs on March 4, winning 33-18.
‘‘Quite an emotional week. It was pretty close to when the earthquake happened and also the Pike River Mine [explosion] and I think we honoured the tragedy that happened there. We played the Waratahs and a couple more games after that,’’ Franks said.
‘‘I love Nelson. You almost feel you’re in a different country. It’s real relaxed, good coffee, good place to eat, so I enjoy coming here.’’
In case any All Blacks are feeling under-nourished, particularly the props, former team-mate, and Nelson local, Wyatt Crockett has provided tips on where to get a good graze. And they’ll need all the strength they can get, with the Pumas to play on Saturday.
Franks knows from bitter experience what can happen when you’re not physically or mentally prepared for the Argentine scrum.
Once feared the world over the bajada, as it’s known, had gone off the boil. But under new head coach Mario Ledesma, the Pumas put plenty of scrummaging heat on the Springboks in their recent 32-19 win in Mendoza.
‘‘They take great pride in their set-piece. You saw against Africa they kept the ball in a couple of times in their scrum when they had the ascendancy,’’ Franks said.
‘‘That’s what they’re trying to do and the thing about the Pumas is you can never underestimate them. Back in 2012, they went to another level. The year before, I probably didn’t give them the respect they deserved and I paid for it in [20]12 or 13, so they’re never a pack that I’ll underestimate.’’
‘‘I love Nelson. You almost feel you’re in a different country. It’s real relaxed, good coffee, good place to eat, so I enjoy coming here.’’
All Blacks prop Owen Franks