OWEN F R ANKS
Away from facing the Lions scrum, the All Black tighthead talks family ties and celebrating tries…
NO ONE can find any evidence of it. At the very start of the Lions tour, a Kiwi reporter asked Warren Gatland for his thoughts on a survey that found more than 75% of the New Zealand public couldn’t name a single Lions player. Ever since, confusion has reigned for those hunting down this straw poll. It scarcely matters to Owen Franks – the All Blacks tighthead knows who is in the top front rows of the world. Not only does he study the game, he has a man on the inside of European rugby too.
“I’ve got the Rugby Channel for that reason: I love watching English rugby and the French,” Franks explains. “It’s good to see how the other props are scrummaging, their techniques and what’s working. Often I’ll video it if I see something I like and give it a crack myself. I think it’s important as a front-rower to do that and try different things.
“I talk to my brother Ben (at London Irish) every week on the phone and we talk about his challenges, how he’s found it in the European game, in England. We talk about different scrummaging techniques and things they like to do and what he’s found. I’ve had good info from him but it is more about the mindset really. It’s a bit more set-piece-oriented in England and that’s something he’s really enjoyed.
“I actually think in the last season or two you’ve seen them (European sides) play more with the ball. I guess it’s quality ball for their backs, but it’s still definitely the mindset of if they think it’s on they’re going to keep the ball (in the scrum) and show the ref their dominance, take the penalty. Which I love.”
It is refreshing to hear a student of the game talk in glowing terms about the sport on the other side of the earth. Too often in New Zealand there is a disparaging twang to any statements on northern hemisphere rugby, as if there is only one way of playing the game, that the Europeans are incapable of playing fun stuff while Kiwis are the sole arbiters of that style.
Mind you, Franks is nothing if not a scrum aficionado. He would love any slugfest, wouldn’t he?
Before the Lions game against the Crusaders in Christchurch, Franks explained that however much his franchise had thrown around the ball this season – and before they scraped a measly three points against the tourists, they had averaged 37 points a game
– the silky stuff was built on “nitty-gritty” forwards play. He regularly consults with scrum Svengali Mike Cron, as well as his bro.
That warm-up game was a big occasion in Christchurch. Having missed out on the 2011 World Cup because of the devastating earthquakes that year, they’d rarely seen big sides pass through. England made a flying visit in 2014 but the Lions bring a whole other circus. Understandably, Franks loved locking into the scrum that day. It was a fine precursor to wrestling Lions again in the opening Test in Auckland – his 92nd All Blacks cap.
How has this travelling showcase compared to 2005? “That was my last year in high school, at Christchurch Boys. It was a big deal. I didn’t get to see a game live but I witnessed the hype around Christchurch for the first Test. I remember training in the gym when the All Blacks came in and that was probably a bigger deal for me.”
Franks is certainly a stoic character. This is a man who used to frustrate coaches by going in his own direction in the weights room, focusing on Olympic lifting. Legend has it that as a schoolboy he would practise leaning forward until he fell over, time and time again, to prepare for scrummaging close to the ground. And you will very rarely see the prop whooping as team-mates score sensational tries.
“If I’m right there I’ll celebrate, but usually I just want to get back and get my breath back!” he says of any on-field joy. “I’m definitely not one to celebrate over the top. If I’m not right there I’ll waddle back, get ready for the next play.
“Hell yeah, it still means as much. Not early in games, when you know you’ve got so much ahead, but crucial moments like our recent drop-kick against the Highlanders (which saw the Crusaders win at the death). That’s a pretty awesome buzz.”
And with that Franks climbs into his ute and is gone.