FAMI LY MAN
Hooker Ken Owens has his own personal band of supporters in New Zealand – Rugby World finds out more
THE CARMARTHENSHIRE accent has been heard around and about New Zealand in recent weeks for there are a plethora of Owenses in the country. Hooker Ken is obviously part of the Lions squad, while wife Carys, two-year-old son Efan and parents Delme and Frankie have been touring the islands from early June. His sister, Victoria, arrived for the Test series with a friend, as did some more family friends. In all, Owens has a personal fan club of nine – not bad going.
We caught up with the 30-year-old to find out what it’s like to have your family on the Lions tour… Your tour was almost over before it began when you suffered an ankle injury. How did it happen? In a contact session at the Scarlets. I got in a decent position to jackal for once, one of the boys cleaned me out and my ankle compressed. How worried were you that you’d miss the tour? I thought it would settle. I’d had a foot issue since the France game but it had settled. I went for a scan straight after training, saw a specialist and then met with (Lions medics) Prav (Mathema) and Eanna (Falvey).
From seeing the extent of the issue, they weren’t that confident in me making the tour. So there were some nervy moments, but after three days of icing and resting I went back to see Prav and it had settled. We did some more rehab, I went over for the camp in Dublin and thankfully I was a week and a bit ahead of the schedule Prav planned for me. If you hadn’t made the tour, would your family still have travelled?
They didn’t have conversations about that with me. I said to Carys: “Just go”. Then I’d probably have come out as well and made a holiday of it. I wouldn’t have been near the boys but would have enjoyed the scenery of New Zealand.
How far in advance had they planned it?
They always said if I got selected they’d come out. A couple of weeks before the squad announcement some friends my father’s got to know over the years said that if I got in there was a house in Auckland for them. I’m sure they were talking about their plans but they didn’t talk about it in front of me. It just meant they were prepared if I did get selected.
What have they been up to?
They’ve got the house in Auckland to use as a base and have been travelling around, seeing sights. In the first week they went up to Whangarei and Waitangi. They went around the South Island for a week in a camper – Christchurch, Queenstown, Dunedin. They went to Rotorua and Coromandel, and drove to Wellington for the second Test. They’re loving it. I speak to them every day and we try to catch up either the day before the game or game day.
Carys has never seen this part of the world – this is her first time on a tour. She and my parents have made a lot of sacrifices over the years, so this moment is as much for them as it is for me. Carys was thinking about coming out for the last World Cup but decided to work for S4C, so this time they’ve all just come to enjoy it and do a bit of travelling.
Is it a good distraction for you?
Sometimes these environments can get quite intense, so it’s good to get away for an hour or so and talk about something else. Efan keeps us pretty busy running around. I took him to the park in Rotorua and it was good to have a slightly different focus.
How’s he enjoying the tour?
He came on the pitch in Christchurch and I thought he’d be a bit shy, but he was waving at all the supporters and was really excited. He doesn’t quite understand the Lions. He points to the Wales bit of the badge and that’s “Daddy”, but the other colours are characters from PJ Masks, his new favourite programme! He probably won’t remember it but he’ll see the pictures and videos and know he was here.
What are your first Lions memories?
I don’t remember the 1993 tour. The first one is 1997, when I would have been about ten. I’d be watching the games on Sky and that’s my first memory of what the Lions are all about. Then I’d be hearing stories at the rugby club (Carmarthen Athletic) about Delme Thomas and Roy Bergiers.
The club put on a send-off at the end-of-season dinner. The next thing I know I’m being clapped into the room by Roy and Delme. I’ve had messages too. It’s hard to explain… I see them as legends of the game and they’re sending me their best regards. To hear people saying how proud they are is incredible.
Does that add any pressure?
No, they’re proud of where they’re from and of my achievement. When I was going through U18s and U19s, going to the Junior World Cup, people who didn’t know me that well were helping me to buy kit for the trip. That’s the type of town Carmarthen is.
How has your Lions experience been?
It’s phenomenal. The best players in Britain and Ireland are here, and you’ve got to be able to adapt, work with different players, different second-rows, different jumpers. You have to adjust quick. Graham Rowntree has said that’s why we’re here, because we’re able to do that, to adapt. It’s a great challenge.
“THIS MOMENT IS AS MUCH FOR THEM AS FOR ME”
Will you go back a better player?
That’s the exciting thing. I’m working with new coaches – Steve Borthwick, Graham Rowntree, Andy Farrell. You learn new stuff, hear different voices. I’ve learnt so much on this trip and hopefully I’ll take the experiences I’ve had here back to the Scarlets.
Are there any particular players you’ve enjoyed working with while in New Zealand?
All the front-rowers, and the hookers especially. We’ve all got different strengths and weaknesses. I’m learning off Rory Best about jackling, and with Jamie George it’s the energy he brings, his ball-carries and things like that. I’m learning off the props, quality players. It’s phenomenal talking to all of them, having to adapt to how they like to scrummage or bind. It gives you a better appreciation of the game.
Who have you roomed with?
Jamie George, Rory Best, Peter O’Mahony, Courtney Lawes and Alun Wyn Jones. It’s great getting to know different players off the field; we’ve played so much rugby against each other, smashing seven bells out of each other, so to sit down and chat is great. We talk about our rugby experiences and have a bit of a laugh about games we’ve played in the past. And we get to know about each other’s lives.
What do you do in your downtime?
A lot of it is just going out to coffee shops – there’s very good coffee here. Some of the boys play FIFA or table tennis. We’ve tried to get out where we can and see different parts of the cities we’ve been in – a couple of boys went to the mud baths in Rotorua – but it can be difficult with the travel schedule.
You gave a speech in Welsh at the official welcome in Waitangi. How was that?
Welsh is my first language so sometimes I’m more confident speaking Welsh than English. I think when the president of the NZRU got up with a bit of paper it made life easier for everyone else! It was a huge honour to be asked to do that, to represent part of British & Irish culture. I think it went down pretty well. The whole experience there was unbelievable.
And you lead the singing of Calon Lan…
It was a good bit of fun having choir practice. The Welsh one is quite tough because it’s a different language, but the boys have enjoyed it and had fun with it.
It’s a bit of common ground and after games one of the boys leads a song. Kyle Sinckler does England’s, Robbie Henshaw does the Irish one and Greig Laidlaw does Scotland. Greig’s probably the best singer. I’m terrible; I’ve got a shocking voice but I sing with confidence!
What are your reflections on the Scarlets’ Guinness Pro12 success?
That’s been a three-year process. Wayne Pivac took over as head coach, Ioan Cunningham and Stephen Jones came in, and we’ve improved year on year.
The start we had last year wasn’t ideal but the boys pulled together and worked their nuts off all season. The boys who stepped in during international periods took their opportunities; if someone was injured, someone else stepped up. We showed the strength of character in the squad throughout the year.
You were injured for the play-off games…
I watched the semi-final at home and was out in Dublin for the final, and was so proud of the boys. There had been a lot of criticism but all the boys stuck together and bought into what we were trying to achieve. We’ve built a strong culture; we work hard for each other and enjoy each other’s company.
We do benefit from the majority of the squad being from the region and growing up in a Scarlets environment. To that we’ve added quality overseas players who have bought into what the Scarlets are about. And we got that win at the end of the season.
RW: Will the title kick-start more success?
It’s got to, hasn’t it?