Michael Owen (born 7 November 1980 in

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

), is a former Welsh international

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 most often played Number 8, but was also versatile enough to play flanker or even

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

. His ball handling was arguably his greatest asset.

Club career

Having been educated at Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School in Beddau, Owen played for

Pontypridd RFC Pontypridd Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Pontypridd) are a rugby union team from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. They compete in the Indigo Group Premiership, which they won for four consecutive seasons between 2012 and 2015, and ...

from 1999 until in 2003 the side merged with

Bridgend RFC Bridgend Ravens ( cy, Cigfrain Pen-y-bont) (formerly Bridgend RFC) are a semi-professional rugby union club based in Bridgend, South Wales. They currently play in the Welsh Premier Division and are a feeder club to the Ospreys regional team ...

to form the ill-fated Celtic Warriors and then played for the

Newport Gwent Dragons Dragons RFC ( cy, Dreigiau) are one of the four professional rugby union regional teams in Wales. They are owned by the Welsh Rugby Union and play their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport and at other grounds around the region. They play in ...

in the

Celtic League The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places part ...

from 2003 until 2008. Owen joined Guinness Premiership side Saracens for the 2008/2009 season after signing a two-year deal with the club.

International career

Owen became the 1,000th player capped by Wales when he made his debut in the first Test against South Africa in June 2002. He took over from the injured Gareth Thomas as Wales captain during the 2005 Six Nations, and became the 122nd Captain of his country when he led Wales out against Scotland and led Wales to its first

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

in 27 years. Owen was selected for 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 ...

for their 2005 New Zealand tour. On 23 May in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, he had the honour of captaining the side for their match at Millennium Stadium 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 ...

, the first Lions Test match to take place outside of the touring country. He temporarily returned home for the birth of his second child.

International tries

Post professional rugby career

In July 2010, Owen announced his retirement from the game at 29 due to a persistent knee problem and embarked on a two-year master's degree course in Business at the

University of Hertfordshire The University of Hertfordshire (UH) is a public university in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The university is based largely in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Its antecedent institution, Hatfield Technical College, was founded in 1948 and was ident ...

. In March 2010 he began coaching at Hertford RFC, helping them to gain National 2 league status for the 2011/12 season. Owen was a co-commentator for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's coverage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. From September 2013 Owen took up the position of Director of Rugby at

Haileybury College Haileybury may refer to: Australia * Haileybury (Melbourne), a school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ** Haileybury Rendall School, an offshoot in Berrimah, North Territory, Australia China * Haileybury International School, an internatio ...

.Grand Slam star Owen to- teach Haileybury's new-breed
Hertfordshire Mercury 28 February 2013 accessed 24 March 2014

References

External links

Pontypridd profileNewport Gwent Dragons profileWales profileSaracens profileSporting-Heroes.net (Part 1)Sporting-Heroes.net (Part 2)Welsh Rugby Union
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Michael 1980 births Living people Rugby union locks Rugby union flankers Rugby union number eights Welsh rugby union coaches Welsh rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales Rugby union players from Pontypridd Pontypridd RFC players Dragons RFC players Wales rugby union captains Saracens F.C. players Wales international rugby union players Alumni of the University of Glamorgan Alumni of the University of South Wales