Spirit of ‘13 will see us to victory
OWENS IS UPBEAT
KEN OWENS says Warren Gatland’s spirit of 2013 can help the British & Irish Lions pull off another southern hemisphere heist when they face the Springboks in the series decider.
Hooker Owens, below, will make his first Lions Test start tomorrow in Cape Town with the series 1-1 and South Africa rampant after last Saturday’s 27-9 demolition of the tourists.
Gatland has been here before – eight years ago when the Lions beat Australia 23-21 in the first international in Brisbane only to be edged out 16-15 in Melbourne as the Wallabies bounced back.
Head coach Gatland masterminded a 41-16 trouncing of the Aussies in the final Test and had a near miss against New Zealand four years ago when the series was level.
Tour skipper Sam Warburton was injured for the decider in 2013 and Alun Wyn Jones stepped in to captain the side. And the Welshman, and Gatland, are at the helm this time around, which has fuelled the belief in these tourists. Owens said: “Alun Wyn and Warren have been there and done it, they’ve seen it all. Having them around the place and their experience is huge.
“It’s rubbed off on everybody in the way we’ve prepared and everyone has been committed to this week. That has been led by Warren and Alun Wyn. Warren is very calm, he just knows how to get the best out of the players, whether it’s a small conversation here or there. He steps in when he needs to, prompts boys when he needs to and he’s just very calm and knows how to get the best out of each individual. He has been at his best with that stuff this week.
“We are hugely frustrated and disappointed with the result last Saturday, there are a lot of work-ons but we are in a good place.”
Captain Jones has seen it all in a Lions shirt.
When he plays his 12th Test for the tourists tomorrow, he will match Welsh prop Graham Price, who played a dozen Lions internationals from 1977 to 1983, and former Ireland centre Mike Gibson, who starred from 1966 to 1971.
Only Irish legend Willie John McBride, with 17, and former England scrum-half Dickie Jeeps, with 13, have more.
And the skipper reported training had stepped up a level. “Our Tuesday session was tasty again. It displayed the edge that we’ve seen on similar occasions previously,” he said.
“That’s the best sort of prep we can have for these weeks and these games. The game plan has been very similar throughout the consciousness of the players and the job at hand.”