Owens: Lions still confident despite losing momentum
KEN OWENS admits South Africa are in the ascendancy going into tomorrow’s series decider in Cape Town but believes the British and Irish Lions have a ‘blueprint’ for glory.
Warren Gatland’s men came off second best last weekend as the Springboks left proceedings tantalisingly poised after a resounding 27-9 success.
Coach Gatland has reacted to that chastening defeat by making six changes to his starting XV for the winner-takes-all clash, including handing Welshman Owens a maiden Test start in a
Lions jersey. The Scarlets front-rower insists belief remains high in the camp and feels a few ‘easy fixes’ could be sufficient to secure victory.
‘You’d probably say the way South Africa finished the game, the momentum is with them, but we can’t look back at what happened last week,’ said the hooker. ‘The confidence is still there. We know and trust our processes and what we’re trying to achieve, and we’re here for a huge third-Test series decider.
‘We’re in a really good place, we know the challenge that’s going to be coming from South Africa, so it all bodes well for a great finale. We’ve got the blueprint for the win (from the first Test). We’ve just got to take confidence in what we’ve done well on tour. We’ve won a Test match, lost a Test match, so it’s all to play for in the third and a lot of the things are easy fixes.’
Owens, who came off the bench last weekend for the second successive match, is thrilled to be handed a first Lions start.
He added: ‘It’s right up there as one of the biggest games, but definitely in a Lions shirt. We know exactly what challenges they bring.’