Owen warning for ‘big-name’ Tuilagi
FIT-AGAIN Leicester centre Gareth Owen has designs on the Leicester No.13 shirt which could spike Manu Tuilagi’s hopes of a rapid England recall.
Owen swapped European Cup quarter-finalists Scarlets for the Tigers last summer with a year left on his contract but has endured a stop-start time at Welford Road after a preseason back problem.
Now fit and firing the 29year-old, equally comfortable in the 12 or 13 shirt told The Rugby Paper: “There’s always a perception that big names like Manu and Matt Toomua will get the midfield jerseys, but I aim to push as hard as I can.
“We’ve been distinctly average in our performances but we showed against Racing last weekend that we can mix it with the big boys and I know that I can bring a lot of experience to this Leicester side over the rest of the campaign.”
Seven losses in eight games have led to fans demanding the head of Tigers’ boss Matt O’Connor, but talented former Wales 7s star Owen said: “You can’t read too much into what people say on social media – if you did, everybody could be going.
“Matt’s taken a lot of criticism but we’re not a million miles away and we still feel we can challenge for the Premiership title. What goes on in the background is not our concern, it’s up to us players to put a smile back on people’s faces.”
Owen says he has no regrets over quitting the Scarlets despite watching his old side roar into the Champions Cup last eight. He said: “Scarlets are doing well but I wasn’t getting as much game time there as I’d have liked and, after five years there, I felt I needed a change of life.
“There’s no bad blood but head coach Wayne Pivac deemed other people better suited to his plans and I wasn’t getting the love at Scarlets I thought I deserved.
“I still had a year on my contract but I just wanted to play rugby and didn’t want to end my career without having achieved things I wanted to.
“I’ll never live with regrets and I had an opportunity to come to a club in Leicester that’s very prestigious and has won a lot of trophies down the years – and I believe we’re still going to do that.”
Owen added: “It was a pretty big move for me and my family but that’s the way I looked at it and not looking back at ‘what ifs’ was a big reason for doing it.
“I had a niggle in preseason with my back that ruined the start of my campaign, but it’s rectified now and I’m ready to kick on and fight for my place.”