Ken’s a sure Lions starter, says Adam
KEN Owens is “nailed on” to become the Lions Test hooker this summer, according to his former Wales frontrow colleague Adam Jones.
Owens is set to compete with England’s Jamie George and Luke CowanDickie for the No. 2 shirt, but Jones believes it is the 34-year-old Scarlet who will be Gatland’s first choice.
Harlequins forwards coach Jones said: “It’s never set in stone but I would say he’s pretty nailed on to start that first Test.
“Without sounding harsh, Ken does an incredible job to get the most out of his body. Certainly, when I played with him, he wasn’t the fittest and he wasn’t the strongest, but what he has always been is absolutely 100 per cent all the time.
“The last time I played with Ken in the Wales squad was six or seven years ago. He was still a fairly young kid then.
“You could get him to do things for you. But now he’s grown into a leader.”
Jones praised Owens’s set-piece game, ball-carrying and defending, but believes his strength in the setpiece goes under the radar.
“He’s a good scrummager and he throws in very well,” he added.
“He’s all-action and runs through brick walls for his country, but maybe the nuts and bolts of his game – and how good he is – goes under the radar.
“He’s just a wonderful player. He’s also a good bloke – one of the best I’ve come across in rugby.”
Carmarthen product Owens is one of four Scarlets in the Lions squad. Llandovery’s Wyn Jones and Newcastle Emlyn’s Gareth Davies are also included, along with full-back Liam Williams.
But there is no place for centre Jonathan Davies, who has made the last two tours.
His brother James won’t feature for the Scarlets for the remainder of the season due to ongoing concussion issues.
The younger Davies, 30, has not played since Wales’s Autumn Nations Cup win over Georgia in November.
Former head coach Glenn Delaney, speaking before his weekend exit from the region, told the BBC: “He is probably somebody we will not see until the start of the next campaign.
“We are being really cautious with him. He is training on the side and not in the team sessions yet.
“When you bear in mind the lay-off that he has had, he has to completely recondition his body so he can play safely.
“I would think he might not make this season but that is not to the detriment of the work that is going on with him. It might just give him an even better chance to make sure next season is an absolute cracker.”
Meanwhile, the Scarlets are reportedly close to completing a deal for Argentina flanker Tomas Lezana from Australian side Western Force.
The Rugby Paper claims the 27-year-old is set to plug the gap left by flanker Jac Morgan, who is leaving Parc y Scarlets to join the Ospreys next season.
As well as James Davies, there are also lingering concerns over Josh Macleod, who is sidelined with a longterm injury.
Lezana has played 39 times for the Pumas since making his debut against France in 2014, and leaves Western Force after less than a year, having signed from Jaguares in Super Rugby.
Scarlets fans will have a chance to see Lezana in Wales soon, with Argentina facing Wales in two internationals in Cardiff this summer.