WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT KEN...

WALES hooker Ken Owens will win his 50th cap against France in Paris today.

It will be a landmark moment for the man they call ‘The Sheriff’ and a reward for years of hard graft for club and country.

To mark the occasion, rugby correspondent Simon Thomas has spoken to people who know him well – team-mates, coaches and friends.

So here’s the lowdown on Cannonball Ken... the tale of a journey from the ‘Fat Club’ to the brink of Lions selection. Former Scarlets team-mate Lou Reed “I’ve known Ken since we were with Wales U16s together. He wasn’t a starter, he was always the fringe guy. He was a big person, really overweight! He was really skilful, but because he was so big, they didn’t put him in to start.

“When I first moved to Llanelli, all of Carmarthenshire would come together for training at Coleg Sir Gar on a Tuesday night, so I’d see him there. We both started playing for the Scarlets U18s through that and then got picked for Wales U20s in about 2007.

“I think the big change for him was when he became a professional with the Scarlets Academy. They told him he had to lose weight to progress. He was always a natural ball player. He could always pass, catch and carry. He could do the fundamentals, but he had to put a bit of work in to shape up.

“I suppose back then we all thought being bigger was better. It was only when we started getting nutritional advice through sports science that things changed.

“Phil Davies came in at the Scarlets and put us all on diets. Me and Ken were in the ‘Fat Club’ there and had to get in early to do a bit extra. We lost a lot of weight. That kick-started Ken and shaped him for the future.

“I went on to play for years with him at the Scarlets and he’s a close friend of mine. It’s hard not to get on with him. Most people do. He is one of those guys who embraces you as a friend, regardless of who you are.

“I am pretty close to his family as well. His father Delme was always quite vocal! I can’t remember a game where he wasn’t there. He would always be in the crowd and you would always hear him.

“Ken has had good people nurturing him in the front row over the years. Robin McBryde was with the Academy at the Scarlets and nurtured him through from the beginning. Then he worked alongside Matthew Rees, learning from him. He had a lot of competition at hooker when he first broke into the Wales set-up, from the likes of Matt, Huw Bennett and Richard Hibbard