OWENS: I FEARED IT WAS OVER
KEN Owens admitted there were times when he thought his career might be over because of the back injury that sidelined him for 11 months.
Owens missed most of last season, including Wales’s Six Nations title defence plus the summer tour of South Africa.
But the hooker returned to action at the weekend, with a 40-minute run-out for Carmarthen Quins in the Welsh Premiership offering fresh hope that he can return to the top and maybe even bid for a fourth World Cup next year.
“It had been a while since I’d been out on the pitch, so it was great to play again after a long lay-off,” said the 35-year-old.
“I’m hugely thankful to the Quins for giving me an opportunity to play to try to get my fitness back. It was a good 40 minutes, although I was blowing a little bit.
“I feel alive again – getting hit, putting in some hits and just being back on the field. It was great.
“It has been a frustrating time and I’ve been questioning whether I would to able to play again. I’ve been pretty close to making that decision at times.
“I always wanted to give myself the best opportunity to get back on the field through this process. I knew I would regret it in years to come if I didn’t do that.
“I suppose I turned the corner about three months ago when I really saw some progression. Now I hope I can put up my hand up for selection with the Scarlets over the coming weeks.
“I have to take it day by day, week by week and see where it goes.
“I haven’t set any public targets, although I know in my head what I want to achieve and I’ve just got to keep building towards that.”