Kenneth James Owens (born 3 January 1987)
is a
Welsh rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
player who plays as a
hooker for the
Scarlets
The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...
and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. He made his debut for the Scarlets in 2006, taking over from
Matthew Rees
Matthew may refer to:
* Matthew (given name)
* Matthew (surname)
* ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497
* ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith
* Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the ...
as their first-choice hooker upon Rees' departure for the
Cardiff Blues in 2013. He also served as backup to Rees, among others, for Wales following his debut against
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
at the
2011 Rugby World Cup. In 2016, he took over as Wales' first-choice hooker, and in January 2023, following almost a year out with a back injury, he was named as captain for the
2023 Six Nations Championship
The 2023 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...
.
Early life
Owens is the son of Delme Owens, a former rugby player who played for
Carmarthen Athletic RFC as a second row and later became the club's president; along with his wife Frankie, he also ran the club's junior section.
His maternal grandparents, Kenneth Bryan Maynard and Sarah Mary Lorraine Maynard, were both mayors of
Carmarthen
Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...
, and Kenneth also served as chairman of
Dyfed County Council
Dyfed County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Dyfed) was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Dyfed in south west Wales. It operated between 1974 and 1996. The county council was based at County Hall, Carmarthen.
History
Dyfed County Co ...
, leading to Owens being given the nickname "The Sheriff" by Scarlets teammate and future coach
Dwayne Peel
Dwayne John Peel (born 31 August 1981) is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was the most capped scrum-half for the Wales national rugby union team with 76 caps, until his record was surpassed by Mike Phillips on 16 March 2013.
Yo ...
in Owens' first season with the Scarlets. Owens attended
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin, and is a fluent
Welsh speaker. Although he was almost signed as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
by
Carmarthen Town AFC,
Owens chose to stick to rugby and began his career as a youth player at Carmarthen Athletic before joining the
Llanelli Scarlets
The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...
academy in 2004.
He moved to play his club rugby for
UWIC RFC
Cardiff Metropolitan University Rugby Football Club (aka Cardiff Met RFC) is a Welsh rugby union team currently playing in the WRU Championship based at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Notable former players
''Inclusion criteria: Attained int ...
when he began studying at
the university in 2005.
Club career
2006–2013: Backup
Owens made his debut for the
Llanelli Scarlets
The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...
towards the end of the 2005–06 season in a match against the
Glasgow Warriors
Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...
. He left UWIC and began playing his club rugby for
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Llanelli) is a Welsh rugby union club founded on 30 March 1872.
The club's historic home ground was Stradey Park in Llanelli, but they moved in 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent Pember ...
, making five appearances and scoring three tries in the first two months of the 2006–07 season. That year, Owens made 17 appearances for the Scarlets, making his first start in a 24–14 away defeat to Edinburgh on 5 January 2007. He scored his first try after coming on for
Matthew Rees
Matthew may refer to:
* Matthew (given name)
* Matthew (surname)
* ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497
* ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith
* Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the ...
in a Celtic League match against
Border Reivers. With Rees at the
2007 Rugby World Cup and
Aled Gravelle out with a foot injury, Owens began the 2007–08 season competing with
James Hayter to be the Scarlets' starting hooker. He was a replacement for the first five games of the season and started against
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
on 12 October 2007, but Rees' return and a knee injury meant he did not play again until the end of February 2008, even then only playing three times in the second half of the season.
In 2008–09, Owens and Rees between them started all but two of the Scarlets' matches, though Rees took the lion's share, while Owens had to be content with starting mostly in the Anglo-Welsh Cup or while Rees was on international duty with Wales, during the
2008 Autumn internationals and the
2009 Six Nations. He scored his second try for the Scarlets on one of those starts, the only try in a 13–6 win over
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
on 8 March 2009.
With Rees on tour with the
British & Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
in South Africa, Owens began the 2009–10 season as the Scarlets' first-choice hooker, and in the third game of the season in September 2009, he gave a man-of-the-match performance in a 22–20 home defeat to
Munster. In December 2009, Owens signed a new contract with the Scarlets, committing himself to the region until 2013.
He missed only two games throughout the season due to Rees' Wales commitments, starting in all but six of his appearances, and scoring a try in a 27–14 loss away to
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...
on 20 February 2010.
In 2010–11, Owens served as back-up to Rees, taking advantage of Rees' absence with Wales to start in six out of seven matches during the
2010 Autumn internationals; however, he suffered a recurrence of a neck injury in late 2010, and underwent surgery in January 2011 that ruled him out for the next four months. He recovered in time to be named on the bench for the Scarlets' 38–23 final-day win over the
Cardiff Blues, but he did not come on.
Owens was called up to the Wales training camp ahead of the
2011 Rugby World Cup at the start of the 2011–12 season, but his recent recovery from injury meant he was down the pecking order and was released to play for the Scarlets in their pre-season matches against
Rotherham Titans and
Clermont; however, his selection in the final squad for the World Cup meant he did not make his first start of 2011 until 29 October, in a 24–17 win over Ulster. He competed with Rees for the starting hooker job throughout the season, though Rees was more often selected for the Scarlets' Heineken Cup campaign. Owens scored his first Heineken Cup try after coming off the bench for Rees against Munster on 18 December 2011, securing a bonus point for the Scarlets, and his only start in the competition
that season came in the Scarlets' final pool match, a 16–13 away win over
Castres
Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Lan ...
that saw them qualify for the quarter-finals of the
Challenge Cup.
In 2012–13, Owens started just two of the Scarlets' eight games before he was called up to the Wales team for the 2012 Autumn internationals. He returned on the bench for their Heineken Cup match against Exeter on 8 December, before starting the return fixture at
Sandy Park
Sandy Park is a rugby union stadium and conference and banqueting centre in Exeter, England. It is the home ground of Exeter Chiefs, who from the 2010–11 season have been playing in the Gallagher Premiership, the top flight of the English rug ...
a week later. He scored a try in the match, which the Scarlets lost 30–20, but suffered popped rib cartilage that ruled him out for the next three matches. He returned in time to start both of the Scarlets' Heineken Cup double-header against Leinster and Clermont,
before missing the next seven matches on Wales duty. On 11 March 2013, following the announcement of Rees' departure for the Cardiff Blues, Owens signed a contract extension with the Scarlets that would keep him with the region until 2016.
2013–present: First choice
Rees' departure meant Owens began the 2013–14 season as the Scarlets' first-choice hooker, and he started four of their first five games of the campaign; however, a combination of an abdominal injury suffered ahead of their first Heineken Cup game against Harlequins and a call-up to the Wales team for the
2013 Autumn internationals meant he missed the next eight games, making his return in the Heineken Cup double-header against Clermont at the start of December. He suffered another injury in the Scarlets' Boxing Day loss to rivals the
Ospreys, coming off with a calf problem just before half-time in a 10–6 loss. He was originally due to make a comeback off the bench in the Scarlets' final Heineken Cup pool match against
Harlequins on 19 January, but
Kirby Myhill
Kirby Myhill (born 5 February 1992) is a Welsh rugby union rugby player, who plays at hooker for the Miami Sharks in the MLR. Myhill begin his career with the Scarlets academy, and represented the team for six seasons before joining Cardiff R ...
ended up being named in the matchday squad as the Scarlets lost 22–20 to finish third in the pool. Owens' subsequent selection for the
2014 Six Nations meant he did not play again for the Scarlets until the end of March. He started five of the last six games of the season, scoring tries in three straight games against
Zebre
Zebre Parma (, meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the ...
, the Blues and the
Dragons
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
, with victory in the last of those three seeing the Scarlets qualify for the
2014–15 Champions Cup.
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, reports emerged that Owens was one of nine players due to be offered a central contract with the
Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), in addition to already contracted national team captain
Sam Warburton; however, Owens said he had not "spoken to anybody about it". Owens was appointed as the Scarlets' captain for the 2014–15 season, taking over from co-captains
Jonathan Davies, who had left for Clermont Auvergne, and
Rob McCusker; however, just two games into the season, Owens suffered a neck injury that required surgery that initially ruled him out until after the
2014 Autumn internationals.
Owens hoped to make a return from the injury for the Scarlets' game against the Ospreys on 27 December, but nerve damage meant he ended up missing a further month,
making his return against
London Irish
London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...
in the
Anglo-Welsh Cup
The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...
. During his time out, he signed a new contract with the Scarlets, ending speculation that the WRU would need to sign him to a National Dual Contract to prevent him chasing a move outside Wales. After being rested for the Scarlets' final Anglo-Welsh Cup match against
Sale Sharks, Owens missed just one of the last nine games of the season, again scoring back-to-back tries against the Dragons and Blues;
his try against the Dragons was controversially awarded after he collided with referee
George Clancy, who appeared to impede Dragons defenders from bringing Owens down.
After the game, Owens said he was feeling the pressure of the possibility that he could become the first Scarlets captain to fail to qualify for the Champions Cup. Victory over the Blues and over Treviso on the final day of the season meant they finished in sixth place and qualified for the Champions Cup.
The 2015–16 season saw Owens have reduced opportunities with the Scarlets due to his involvement with the Wales team at the World Cup at the start of the season, as well as the Autumn internationals and the Six Nations. Nevertheless, he started 13 matches in all competitions, plus another two substitute appearances, and scored a try in the 29–27 loss to the Cardiff Blues on 1 January 2016. In 2016–17, the Scarlets recovered from three straight defeats at the start of the Pro12 campaign to lose just twice more all season, finishing third in the league and qualifying for the play-offs. Owens started 12 of the team's 22 league matches, scoring a try in the 51–5 win over
Benetton Treviso on 8 April, his 200th appearance for the region, but missed out on the play-offs due to an ankle injury; the Scarlets went on to beat Leinster 27–15 in the semi-finals, before a 46–22 win over Munster in the final to give the Scarlets their second league title. With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Owens was linked with a move to French club
Pau, before signing a new deal with the Scarlets in February 2017.
Following his involvement in the
British & Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
'
tour to New Zealand in the summer of 2017, Owens missed the first two games of the Scarlets' 2017–18 season, returning to the side for their trip to Ulster on 15 September 2017; Ulster won the match 27–20 to deny the Scarlets a 10th straight win in the Pro14. Owens' involvement with the Wales team again meant that he missed around half the Scarlets' games during the season, though he played in all eight of their
2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup
The 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup was the fourth European Rugby Champions Cup championship (23rd overall), the annual rugby union club competition for teams from the top six nations in European rugby and was the twenty-third season of pan ...
matches (starting seven) as they reached the semi-finals, where they were beaten 38–16 by Leinster in Dublin. The Scarlets also finished second in the Pro14, and Owens played in all three of their play-off matches, culminating with another meeting with Leinster in the final, which they lost 40–32.
In January 2019, the Scarlets suffered a back row injury crisis that resulted in Owens having to play at
number 8 against the Dragons in the Pro14 on 5 January, and because of European registration regulations, against Leinster in the Champions Cup on 12 January, scoring one of the Scarlets' five tries in a 33–10 win. Scarlets coach
Wayne Pivac
Wayne Pivac (born 1962) is a New Zealand rugby union coach. In November 2019 he replaced Warren Gatland as the Wales national team coach. A former sworn officer in the New Zealand Police, he was a constable at the Takapuna police station on A ...
praised Owens' performance in an unfamiliar position. Owens signed a new contract with the Scarlets in March 2019. Despite missing long spells of the season due to Wales involvement, Owens returned to action for the Scarlets in April 2019, but he was unable to help them into the European qualification spots; a 34–32 loss to the Dragons in the
Judgement Day
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
event at the
Millennium Stadium meant the Scarlets finished fourth in their Pro14 conference, forcing a play-off against the Ospreys to determine which side would qualify for the Champions Cup. The Ospreys won the play-off 21–10, ending the Scarlets' run of qualifying for the top-tier European competition every year since their inception. At the end of the season, Owens was named in the Pro14 team of the year.
Owens retained the role of Scarlets captain for the 2019–20 season, his sixth year in the role; that set a new record for the regional side and equalled
Phil Bennett
Philip Bennett (24 October 1948 – 12 June 2022) was a Welsh rugby union player who played as a fly-half for Llanelli RFC and the Wales national rugby union team, Wales national team. He began his career in 1966, and a year later he had taken ...
's run as captain of Llanelli RFC between 1973 and 1979. After playing at the
2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...
, Owens returned to action for the Scarlets in their Pro14 meeting with the Dragons on 21 December 2019, which the Dragons won 22–20. However, he only played four more games (three as a starter) before being called up for Wales duty in the
2020 Six Nations
The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...
, which was later interrupted by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, stopping all rugby until August 2020. Owens played in all three of the Scarlets' remaining matches, confirming their qualification for the
2020–21 Champions Cup with wins over the Blues and the Dragons in the league, the latter marking his 250th appearance for the Scarlets, before losing to
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
in the quarter-finals of the
European Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
.
After being appointed as the players' representative on the Scarlets' board, as well as being named to the International Rugby Players council, Owens began a seventh straight year as captain in 2020–21, breaking the Llanelli record held by Phil Bennett. However, he played just two matches before requiring surgery on a shoulder injury sustained against Glasgow on 11 October 2020 that would rule him out for 3–4 months. He returned to action in January 2021, taking part in the Scarlets' warm-up ahead of their game against the Dragons on 2 January,
before being named in the line-up for their 13–10 loss to the Blues on 22 January. After returning from Six Nations duty, Owens played just three more games for the Scarlets, first in their 57–14 loss to Sale Sharks in the round of 16 of the
Champions Cup, in which he scored the first of the Scarlets' two consolation tries, before back-to-back appearances against the Ospreys and the Blues in the
Pro14 Rainbow Cup
The Pro14 Rainbow Cup (also known as the Guinness Pro14 Rainbow Cup for sponsorship reasons) was a professional rugby union end-of-season cup competition played in 2021 that consisted of two separate tournaments: the Rainbow Cup for twelve Europe ...
, the latter off the bench. Owens' selection in the British & Irish Lions squad meant he was rested for the next game against Ulster, but this match ended up being cancelled due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Ulster squad.
Jonathan Davies was named captain of the Scarlets for the 2021–22 season, ending Owens' run of seven straight years in the role, though Owens signed a new contract with the Scarlets, keeping him with the region until after the
2023 Rugby World Cup
The 2023 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the tenth men's Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It is scheduled to take place in France from 8 September to 28 October 2023 in nine venues across the cou ...
. Owens' involvement in the
Lions' tour to South Africa during the summer meant he missed the start of the Scarlets' season, and played just twice before being named in the Wales squad for the
2021 Autumn internationals,
making his comeback in a 43–10 loss at home to a second-string Munster side. While on Wales duty, Owens was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in his back and returned to the Scarlets for treatment. He was later ruled out until after the Six Nations, before his season was declared over in April 2022, with coach
Dwayne Peel
Dwayne John Peel (born 31 August 1981) is a Welsh rugby union coach and former player. He was the most capped scrum-half for the Wales national rugby union team with 76 caps, until his record was surpassed by Mike Phillips on 16 March 2013.
Yo ...
saying he was "nowhere near a return to training".
In September 2022, Peel said Owens was in contention to return to action by that November.
After 11 months out injured, he made his return to rugby with Scarlets feeder club Carmarthen Quins on 24 September 2022. He played his first game for the Scarlets in just under a year the following week, coming off the bench at half-time in a 34–23 loss to Treviso. He was again a replacement the following week against Cardiff, before making his first start in a year on 15 October, in a 36–12 home win over Zebre, the Scarlets' first win of the season. After the
2022 Autumn internationals,
Ryan Elias was preferred for the Scarlets' Challenge Cup matches against
Bayonne and the
Cheetahs
The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...
, as well as their United Rugby Championship match against the Ospreys on Boxing Day, but Owens returned to the starting line-up for the first four games of 2023 before being named captain of Wales for the
Six Nations, which meant he would not play for the Scarlets again until the end of March.
International career
Youth international
Owens began his international career playing for Wales at both under-19 and under-20 level. He scored the first try for the new under-20 side in their first match in the Under-21 Six Nations against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
on 2 February 2007; Wales went on to lose the match 17–15. He received a yellow card for stamping in the first half of Wales' 39–13 loss to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, and was then left out of the side for their 22–21 loss to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, before returning as a replacement for a 21–21 draw with
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the final game.
2009–2011: First call-ups and debut
In September 2009, following a good run of form at the start of the 2009–10 season, former Wales scrum-half Robert Jones named Owens as a "serious contender" to make his senior Wales debut in the
2009 Autumn internationals
The 2009 end of year rugby internationals, also known as the Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, tour the northern hemisphere.
The headline event of the series was an attempted ...
; however, Wales coach
Warren Gatland
Warren David Gatland (born 17 September 1963) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player who is currently in his second spell as the head coach of the Wales national team.
As head coach of Wales from 2007 to 2019, he won four Six N ...
picked only two hookers for the series, omitting Owens, which Jones described as "surprising". Owens was again left out of the Wales squad for the
2010 Six Nations when it was announced in January 2010; however, due to injuries to hookers Matthew Rees and
Gareth Williams, Owens was added to the squad on 15 February as backup to Ospreys hooker
Huw Bennett
Huw Bennett (born 11 June 1983) is a former Wales international rugby union hooker, who played most of his rugby career for the Ospreys.
Starting his club rugby in Clevedon, Somerset, Bennett has since represented both Wales and England at var ...
ahead of the game against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. Owens was named on the bench for the game, but did not come on. In May 2010, Owens was again called up to the Wales squad as one of three hookers for their
summer tour to New Zealand and their warm-up match against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
in Cardiff. Before the South Africa match, he was called up to the
Barbarians
A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be les ...
squad for their match against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on 30 May. He was named on the bench for the match, coming on for
Benoît August for the final 10 minutes as the Barbarians lost 35–26. Matthew Rees and Huw Bennett played in all three of Wales' summer tests, leaving Owens still without a cap, a run that continued through the 2010 Autumn internationals and the
2011 Six Nations, when Rees, Bennett and
Richard Hibbard
Richard Hibbard (born 13 December 1983) is a Wales international rugby player currently playing for the Dragons.
Hibbard was born in Neath, Wales. He’s married with 3 children. A hooker, he started playing rugby at age grade levels at clubs ...
were preferred.
As Wales began their preparations for the
2011 Rugby World Cup, Owens was left out of their squad for a match against the Barbarians in May 2011, with Bennett, Hibbard and
Lloyd Burns
Lloyd Burns (born 9 December 1984, Panteg) is a former Wales international rugby union player. Burns played in the hooker position and played his club rugby for Newport Gwent Dragons having made his debut in the 2008–09 season. He previously ...
the preferred trio of hookers. When Gatland announced his 45-man squad for the World Cup training camp in June 2011, Owens was again overlooked in favour of Matthew Rees' return to the squad; however, when Hibbard underwent shoulder surgery later that month, ruling him out for 10–12 weeks, Owens was added to the squad as cover for their first of two week-long trips to
Spała Spała is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Inowłódz, within Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It lies on the Pilica River, approximately west of Inowłódz, east of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, an ...
, Poland. He was not included for the second visit to Spała, which only featured 35 players, but rejoined the group when it was expanded to 39 players for their first
World Cup warm-up matches against England on 6 and 13 August. He was not selected for the first match, and was allowed to return to the Scarlets for pre-season match practice. Rees was ruled out of the tournament with a neck injury, leaving Owens competing against Bennett, Burns and a recovering Hibbard for a place as one of three hookers in the final 30-man squad, to be announced on 22 August. Bennett and Hibbard played in the final warm-up match against
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
on 20 August, but Hibbard suffered an ankle injury, resulting in Owens' selection for the tournament alongside Bennett and Burns. Owens made his debut for Wales in their third pool match at the tournament on 26 September 2011, coming on as a second-half replacement in an 81–7 win over
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
.
2012–2016: Backup
With Burns ruled out with a neck injury, Owens was named alongside Rees and Bennett as Wales' hookers for the
2012 Six Nations. In the week before the opening game, Rees suffered a calf strain, ruling him out for the first two matches, which meant Bennett would start the opening game against Ireland, with Owens on the bench; however, Owens did not come on as Wales won 23–21. Bennett again started the match against Scotland the following week, but this time Owens was able to make his Six Nations debut, first coming on as a temporary blood replacement for Bennett in the 10th minute, before a permanent substitution at half-time; Wales won the match 27–13. Like Rees, Bennett suffered a calf injury during the game, resulting in Hibbard being recalled to the squad for the Triple Crown game against England on 25 February. Owens was picked to start the game, his first start for Wales, with Hibbard on the bench. Owens played the whole match as Wales won 19–12 to claim the Triple Crown and continue a Grand Slam bid. Rees' return from injury meant Owens dropped to the bench again for Wales' next game against Italy, coming on for the final 18 minutes of a 24–3 win, before retaining his place on the bench for the final game against France, in which he played the final 17 minutes as Wales won their third Grand Slam of the Six Nations era. Owens was picked along with Hibbard and Rees for Wales'
2012 tour of Australia. He was left out of the pre-tour match against the Barbarians, but was given his second start for Wales in the first test against
Australia; he played the first 50 minutes before being replaced by Rees as Wales lost 27–19. He came on for the last 10 minutes of the 25–15 win over the
ACT Brumbies
The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the feral horses which inh ...
on 12 June, before being left out entirely for the second test on 16 June, which Australia won 25–23 to claim the series. He was named on the bench for the third test, coming on for the final 15 minutes as Wales lost 20–19.
In October 2012, in the absence of Bennett, Owens was named in the Wales squad for the 2012 Autumn internationals, along with Rees and Hibbard. He missed the opening match against Argentina on 10 November, as Rees and Hibbard were preferred, before being named as a replacement behind Hibbard for the game against Samoa on 16 November. Hibbard suffered a shoulder injury early in the game, so Owens played the remaining 60 minutes. Hibbard's injury ruled him out of the rest of the series, so Owens was named on the bench behind Rees for the final two games against New Zealand and Australia, coming on for the final 15 minutes of each game. Despite suffering a rib injury playing for the Scarlets in December 2012, Owens recovered in time for the start of the
2013 Six Nations,
and featured as a replacement in all five matches – behind Rees for the first game against Ireland, before backing up Hibbard for the final four – as Wales claimed their second title in a row. Later in the season, Owens suffered a neck injury playing for the Scarlets in the Pro12 semi-final, ruling him out of Wales'
summer tour of Japan.
He returned for the 2013 Autumn internationals,
playing in all four matches. He scored his first international try after coming off the bench against Argentina on 16 November, before starting the match against
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
the following week. He was again selected for the
2014 Six Nations as one of three hookers, along with the Ospreys'
Richard Hibbard
Richard Hibbard (born 13 December 1983) is a Wales international rugby player currently playing for the Dragons.
Hibbard was born in Neath, Wales. He’s married with 3 children. A hooker, he started playing rugby at age grade levels at clubs ...
and Scarlets teammate
Emyr Phillips. Owens played in all five matches, coming off the bench in the first four before starting the final match against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. Hibbard underwent shoulder surgery following the tournament, ruling him out of the
summer tour of South Africa; this allowed Owens – who suffered a minor injury playing for the Probables side in a pre-tour trial match – to hold onto his role as the starting hooker, having been named alongside Matthew Rees and
Scott Baldwin as the three hookers on tour. Rees and Baldwin played in the tour match against
Eastern Province Kings, but Owens started both tests against South Africa; his try in the second helped Wales to a 30–17 lead going into the final 10 minutes, but South Africa came back to win 31–30.
Due to a neck injury suffered early in the 2014–15 season, Owens was ruled out of Wales' 2014 Autumn internationals,
and was left out of Warren Gatland's initial squad for the
2015 Six Nations
The 2015 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2015 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 16th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union tournament. It was contested b ...
. Following a successful return to club action, he was recalled to the Wales squad for their penultimate Six Nations match against Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, but was ultimately not selected for the match. Richard Hibbard was ruled out of Wales' final match of the tournament against Italy national rugby union team, Italy, allowing Owens to take his place on the bench. Owens came on in the 56th minute as Wales won the match 60–21 to finish the tournament level on points with champions Ireland and second-placed England.
Owens was one of four hookers named in Wales' initial 47-man training squad ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and despite being left out of their first warm-up match against Ireland on 8 August 2015, he survived the first cut a week later. He then started the return match against Ireland on 29 August, after which he was named as one of two hookers in the final 31-man squad. He started the final warm-up against Italy on 5 September, but then did not start any of the matches at the tournament, coming off the bench to replace
Scott Baldwin in all four pool matches and the 23–19 loss to South Africa in the quarter-finals.
2016–2022: Starter
Owens remained behind Baldwin in the pecking order for the 2016 Six Nations Championship, 2016 Six Nations, coming off the bench in all five matches as Wales finished second behind England. In the summer, he was selected for 2016 Wales rugby union tour of New Zealand, Wales' tour of New Zealand. Though he was left out of the warm-up match against England, he started all three tests against the New Zealand national rugby union team, All Blacks, all of which Wales lost. From that point, Owens became Wales' first-choice hooker, starting the matches against Australia, Argentina and South Africa during the 2016 Autumn internationals, and scoring Wales' opening try – his third at international level – in the South Africa match, which Wales won 27–13. He then started all five matches in the 2017 Six Nations Championship, 2017 Six Nations, including earning his 50th cap in a 20–18 loss to France on the final day;
he played the entire game, including the 20 minutes of injury time at the end of the second half.
Owens' form for Wales led to him being suggested as a potential selection for the British & Irish Lions' 2017 tour to New Zealand.
When the squad was announced in April 2017, Owens was on holiday in Pembrokeshire. He was named as one of three hookers along with England's Jamie George and Ireland's Rory Best. Despite suffering an injury on club duty in May 2017, Owens was expected to be fit for the start of the tour. Although he was able to travel with the rest of the squad, and led them in the singing of Welsh hymn "''Calon Lân''" on arrival at Auckland airport, he ultimately missed the first match of the tour against the New Zealand Barbarians, he returned to captain the side in the second match against the Blues (Super Rugby), Blues, which the Lions lost 22–16. He was on the bench for the next three games against the Crusaders (rugby union), Crusaders (won 12–3), the Highlanders (rugby union), Highlanders (lost 23–22) and the Māori All Blacks (won 32–10), before being rested against the Chiefs (rugby union), Chiefs ahead of the first test on 24 June. Owens was named on the bench for the first test, coming on for George for the final 13 minutes as the Lions lost 30–15. He was again rested for the final tour match against the Hurricanes (rugby union), Hurricanes, before again being named as a replacement for the second test; however, this time he did not come on as the Lions won 24–21. Again a replacement for the third test, he came on for the final 11 minutes with New Zealand leading 15–12. After a penalty from Owen Farrell levelled the scores with three minutes to go, Owens was penalised for being accidentally offside; referee Romain Poite originally awarded a penalty that would have given the All Blacks the chance to win the game, but he overturned his decision on review and awarded a scrum instead, and both the match and the series finished as draws.
Owens played in just two of Wales' tests in the 2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals, 2017 Autumn internationals, against Australia and New Zealand, before playing in all five of their 2018 Six Nations Championship, 2018 Six Nations matches, albeit coming off the bench for the penultimate match against Italy. He was omitted from the squad for 2018 Wales rugby union tour to Argentina and the United States, Wales' summer tour of the Americas to allow him to rest after playing on the Lions tour the previous summer, before returning to play in three of Wales' four 2018 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Autumn internationals in 2018. In the 2019 Six Nations Championship, 2019 Six Nations, Owens played in four of Wales' five matches as they won the Grand Slam for the first time in seven years. In the opening match against France, Owens earned his 61st cap, making him Wales' most-capped hooker of all time, surpassing the record held by Matthew Rees.
In April 2019, Owens was named in a 42-man extended training squad ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He started both warm-up games against England in August 2019, the second of which saw Wales rise to number 1 in the World Rugby Rankings, and came off the bench in the second of two matches against Ireland. Between the two Ireland games, Wales confirmed their 31-man squad for the World Cup, which included Owens as one of three hookers along with Elliot Dee and Scarlets teammate Ryan Elias. Owens started each of Wales' first three 2019 Rugby World Cup Pool D, Pool D matches, winning all of them, including a six-try victory over Georgia national rugby union team, Georgia and a 29–25 win over Australia, although he was sin-binned early in the game against Fiji national rugby union team, Fiji for a dangerous tackle. With Wales' qualification for the knockout stage secure, he was then rested for the final pool game against Uruguay national rugby union team, Uruguay. He was restored to the starting line-up for Wales' run to fourth place in the tournament, starting with a 20–19 win over France in the quarter-finals, followed by consecutive losses to South Africa in the semi-finals and New Zealand in the bronze final.
After Warren Gatland stepped down as Wales coach following the World Cup, Owens' former Scarlets coach and Gatland's fellow New Zealander
Wayne Pivac
Wayne Pivac (born 1962) is a New Zealand rugby union coach. In November 2019 he replaced Warren Gatland as the Wales national team coach. A former sworn officer in the New Zealand Police, he was a constable at the Takapuna police station on A ...
took over. Owens was named in Pivac's first squad for an uncapped match against a Barbarians side coached by Gatland. Owens scored a try either side of the half-time break to help give Wales a 43–33 win. In the
2020 Six Nations
The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...
, Owens started each of Wales' first four matches before the competition was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a shoulder injury suffered on his return to club action ruled him out of a friendly against France and the COVID-postponed Six Nations match against Scotland in October 2020. He made his return in January 2021,
just in time to be named in the Wales squad for the 2021 Six Nations Championship, 2021 Six Nations. He was named in the starting line-up for the opening match against Ireland, his first start for Wales in 11 months, and played the full 80 minutes as they came from behind to win 21–16. He started each of the four remaining matches, scoring two tries against Italy in week 4 of the tournament, helping Wales to a 48–7 away win. Although Wales missed out on the Grand Slam after losing to France in their final match on 20 March, they won their second title in three years when France lost to Scotland a week later in their match that had been postponed from 28 February.
Owens was again selected for the Lions for their 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa, 2021 tour to South Africa. After taking part in a pre-tour training camp in Jersey, he started the home match against Japan national rugby union team, Japan at Murrayfield Stadium, Murrayfield, playing almost 55 minutes before being replaced by Jamie George. He was left out for the team's first match in South Africa against the Lions (United Rugby Championship), Lions, before being restored to the bench for the next two games, both against the Sharks. He then started the Lions' game against South Africa A national rugby union team, South Africa A, playing for 50 minutes as the Lions suffered their first loss on tour. He was then rested for the final tour match against the Stormers, ahead of being named on the bench for the first test a week later. He came on for try-scorer Luke Cowan-Dickie in the 56th minute as the Lions won 22–17. Despite Cowan-Dickie's struggles at the line-out, he retained his place in the team ahead of Owens for the second test, who again came on around 15 minutes into the second half, as South Africa levelled the series with a 27–9 win. Owens then started the final test, his first start out of five caps for the Lions, with Cowan-Dickie on the bench. He scored the game's opening try in the 18th minute to help the Lions to a 10–6 half-time lead; however, he was substituted in the 53rd minute, after which South Africa came back to win the match 19–16, and hence the series 2–1.
Upon his return to Wales, Owens was named in their squad for the 2021 Autumn internationals,
and was picked to start the opening game against New Zealand on 30 October 2021, only to be ruled out by a back injury, though he was expected to be fit again for Wales' second game against South Africa; however, he missed that game as well, and on 8 November 2021, he was released from the Wales squad. He missed the remainder of the series, and in January 2022, he was also ruled out of the 2022 Six Nations Championship, Six Nations, before his season was ended completely in April 2022,
eliminating him from contention for Wales' 2022 Wales rugby union tour of South Africa, tour to South Africa in the summer.
In June 2022, Owens said he still hoped to play at the
2023 Rugby World Cup
The 2023 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the tenth men's Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It is scheduled to take place in France from 8 September to 28 October 2023 in nine venues across the cou ...
, and that September, he was considered eligible to play in the 2022 Autumn internationals that November.
He returned to club action later that month, and on 25 October 2022, he was named in the Wales squad for their series of matches against New Zealand, Argentina, Georgia and Australia. He was picked to start against New Zealand, his first start for Wales in more than 18 months, and played over an hour as Wales lost 55–23. He missed out on a try against Argentina the following week, knocking on over the try line under pressure from Thomas Gallo (rugby union), Thomas Gallo. Injuries forced him to play the full 80 minutes against Argentina, and when Elias came on for Will Rowlands late in the game, rather than Owens filling in in the back row as he had done for the Scarlets a few years earlier, he continued to pack down at hooker, while Elias played as an emergency flanker. He then played all but the final 10 minutes in a 13–12 loss to Georgia the following week, followed by another start against Australia in the last match of the series. Owens was replaced by Elias in the 65th minute, but when Elias was sin-binned a few minutes later, Owens had to return to the field in place of Alex Cuthbert for the final five minutes; with captain Justin Tipuric earlier also going to the sin bin, Australia scored four tries in the second half to come back from 34–13 down and win 39–34.
2023–present: Captain
Ahead of the 2023 Six Nations Championship, 2023 Six Nations, Owens was selected by returning coach Warren Gatland as the Wales captain, taking over from Tipuric, who had led the side in the 2022 Autumn internationals. His first match against Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland on 4 February 2023 made him Wales' oldest ever captain; however, Ireland won the match 34–10, with Owens replaced by Scott Baldwin after an hour. A week later, Owens scored Wales' only try in a 35–7 loss to Scotland, coming off in the 64th minute.
International tries
Wales
British & Irish Lions
Style of play
Owens has been described as a "steady" line-out thrower and "very dynamic in the loose", with the ability to "pop up with spectacular tries".
Personal life
Owens' sister, Vicky, is also a Wales international rugby player, having played for the Wales women's national rugby union team, Wales women's team. She earned her first cap before Owens, and the two played at Twickenham on the same day that Owens made his first start for Wales during the 2012 Six Nations.
Owens' wife Carys is a television producer who is currently the managing director of Whisper Cymru, the Welsh arm of Whisper Productions, the production company founded by Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard. She accompanied Owens on the 2017 Lions tour, along with Owens' parents, while Owens' sister and friends joined them for the test series.
In July 2019, Owens was given an honorary fellowship at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in his home town of Carmarthen. On 5 August 2019, Owens was inducted into the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Llanrwst.
He will use the name "Cen y Siryf" ( en, Ken the Sheriff), in reference to his nickname.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owens, Ken
1987 births
Living people
People educated at Bro Myrddin Welsh Comprehensive School
Rugby union players from Carmarthen
Rugby union hookers
Scarlets players
Wales international rugby union players
Welsh rugby union players
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales
Bards of the Gorsedd