OWEN FRANKS ON...
His dad Ken’s left-field thinking
My family is from Motueka near Nelson, at the top of the South Island. My nan, uncle and cousins are all commercial fishermen, and so was my dad until he joined the NZ Navy. We moved to Christchurch when we were 10 or 11, and after that as well as the weight-training he’d also do things like get hold of speed and agility drills from American College Football websites and make them part of our routine.
He now does some work with the New Zealand Police’s main counterterrorism unit, the Special Tactics Group. He researches the hell out of things. He works with them by creating drills which test them in decision-making in high-pressure situations.
The best props he has faced, or seen?
Marcos Ayerza at loose-head. There was a period of three or four years when Argentina had a dominant scrum, and he played a big part. It was always a battle. He was a really down-to-earth family guy off the field, but on it he tried to embarrass you – which, I guess, is what all props do.
At tight-head are two All Blacks. You cannot go past Carl Hayman as a scrummager. I never saw him go back. He was awesome – so consistent. Greg Somerville made an impression on me early on because he was one of the first mobile modern-day props who could scrum, but also make a big contribution around the field.
TEIMANA SAINTS SKIPPER ON OWEN FRANKS HARRISON
You get a little bit star-struck on day one when he walks in. Him and his brother, Ben, I grew up watching these guys play. I’m not saying he’s old, or anything – but I did. And seeing them playing back then you’re thinking, far out man, I’d love to play with them, or against them – and that coming true is a pretty surreal feeling.
In the forward sessions, when Owen steps up and speaks he commands the attention of everyone, because he’s been there, and he knows what he’s talking about. He does it every week. I think he’ll be a massive part of our team, and his leadership will definitely help us.
At the moment we are very fortunate to be in the position where we can field two very competitive teams of 15. So, as long as everyone stays fit, whether it’s through injury or Covid, on form we’re in a very good position. And Boydy is a smart coach who knows the importance of rotation and keeping boys
fresh.