The Sheriff’s been away, to get back in the saddle...
ONE of the first people to congratulate Ken Owens after he broke Phil Bennett’s Scarlets captaincy record was the great fly-half himself.
“A legend of the game and a gentleman to go with it,” Owens summed up on the BBC this week after Bennett passed away at the age of 73. “He will be sadly missed. “The younger generation probably don’t remember his rugby ability much. They would have seen the old tapes but not seen him play live. If you sat in a room with him and had a conversation you would never know what he has achieved in the game because he was the most humble man ever.
“For me, he was always there for advice. When I became captain of the Scarlets he was one of the first to congratulate me. I was fortunate to pass his captaincy record at the club and he was the first one to send me a message. When I was selected for the Lions he sent me a letter accompanied by a card and gift saying how proud he was. When my son Evan was born, Phil and his wife Pat sent a gift with a card congratulating us. They’re just a lovely family. Pat as well as Phil has been a support to me and my family.”
It helps to have that support as a player.
Owens has had a challenging campaign rugby-wise, restricted to just two outings at regional level because of a prolapsed disc in his back. The injury has required surgery to put right and the hooker hasn’t played a game for Wales this season. While his replacements have performed admirably, Owens has been missed for his leadership, experience, presence and influence on others: when he plays, those around him play better.
He is wary of being overly upbeat about a potential return, having seen his hopes of coming back promptly from injuries dashed before now, but the signs do appear positive.
“We haven’t put a time frame on it, purely because of the nature of the injury,” he said after acting as a coach in the James Hook testimonial game at The Gnoll.
“It’s proven a lot more serious than we first thought and where I am in my career I’m giving it as much time as possible to correct itself.
“I remember when I did my neck. I said I’d be back in four weeks but it turned out I was out for five months. So I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’m just taking it as it comes. “When I’m back, I’m back. “But I’m in a good spot and rehab’s going well.”
The Scarlets will hope to see him on the field sooner rather than later.
When he came off the bench against Glasgow Warriors in the 2020-21 campaign, his introduction was like a sugar-rush to the west Walians with the whole side suddenly re-energised.
They have another quality hooker in Ryan Elias, of course, but strength in depth is the key that unlocks success in modern rugby and the Llanelli-based region will be counting the days to Owens resuming.
Wayne Pivac will also want to see him back, with Owens the emotional touchstone of the Wales squad for so long before his injury.
The question is whether he will be able to push through to the next World Cup. He’ll be 36 when the tournament in France unfolds, but he still has high levels of enthusiasm.
That said, it’s one step at a time. The Sheriff, as one of Carmarthen’s favourite sons is widely known, has been in the game too long to shout ‘count me in for France’ within earshot of the nearest reporter.
Asked if he still harboured ambitions to have one more bash on the biggest rugby stage of all, he said: “I have, but at the moment it’s about getting back playing, getting back into the Scarlets team and building from there.
“Before I can think of anything else, I have to start playing again.”
Elias and Dewi Lake have taken their chances impressively with Wales during Owens’ absence, though Elias found himself on the wrong end of criticism after the Welsh lineout misfired early in the season.
As a fully paid-up member of the Amalgamated Society of Hookers and Lineout Throwers, Owens felt for his fellow Scarlet.
“To be fair, Ryan’s taken a whole heap of s**t, if I can say that,” he said.
“And a lot of the criticism is not deserved.
“He works extremely hard and has really grown into the role of starting. He’s taken his opportunities and has been fantastic with his mindset, his drives and what he’s done.”
Ospreys No. 2 Lake, is also heavily in credit with 82-cap Owens: “Dewi has come back from a nasty injury. He’s raw, he’s still young but he has all the attributes to be a world-class hooker.
“We’ve seen him grow.
“He still has a lot to learn, but all the fundamentals are getting better with him and he’s only going to improve more by playing and picking up experience.
“But already he’s stepped up and taken to Test rugby like a duck to water.” Fair play — it takes generosity of spirit and quiet self-confidence for an older player to praise younger rivals. It can’t have been easy for Owens to have been sidelined for so long.
Indeed, the longer he’s been out, the more he has missed rugby. “Touch wood, I haven’t had too many long spells out of the game,” he said.
“I wasn’t missing it early on as it had been a long old year with everything — I’d had a short break after the Lions tour.
“So I just enjoyed my family.
“As time goes on, you do start to miss it again.
“It is what it is.
“It’s been nice to have a break and get away from the game, to re-evaluate. But, hopefully, I can come back and contribute to the Scarlets and Welsh rugby again.”
Might he take inspiration from his old Wales team-mate Alun Wyn Jones, who has battled back after his own injury woes? “He’s a phenomenal warrior,” said Owens.
“To do what he’s done in the game takes a certain type of mindset.
“As cheesy as it sounds, he’s always been the guy who’s driven standards to make himself better and pushed everyone around him to be better.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play alongside him for the past 10 years.
“So, yeah, you can take inspiration from the way he’s been able to return from his injuries.
“But, for me, it’s about making sure I’m right and ready to go when I do come back, so I can add value and deliver performances that I not only expect of myself, but performances that the Scarlets and Wales expect of me as well.”
It’s good to see The Sheriff on the mend. Welsh rugby isn’t the same when he’s on the sidelines.