Owens stays positive for Wales
KEN Owens believes Wales will ultimately reap the benefits of their difficult autumn period.
The Carmarthen man had to watch from the sidelines as Wayne Pivac’s men lost games against France, Scotland, Ireland and England while only picking up wins against Georgia and Italy.
It was a tough period for the squad, with Wales dropping to ninth in the world rankings as a result.
But hooker Owens, who missed the autumn internationals with a shoulder injury, believes a number of positives emerged from the matches.
He said: “A lot of boys got a lot of opportunities which they perhaps wouldn’t have done if it was a normal autumn series.
“So it was great to see guys get their first caps who have played well for their region, especially from a Scarlets point of view.
“Guys like Kieran Hardy and Johnny Williams getting their chance. It’s frustrating for me as you always want to be a part of it, but you don’t always get that chance.
“They’ll be disappointed with the results.
“But it was great to have that performance against Italy to build into the Six Nations.
“The positive was the amount of boys who got opportunities.”
Read more of our wide-ranging Ken Owens interview in our 8-page pullout.