Ken Owens didn’t turn up at Carmarthen Park wearing a T-shirt proclaiming: “I’m great”. Nor did he mention to anyone he had won 82 caps for Wales and played in five Tests for the British and Irish Lions.
That isn’t The Sheriff’s style.
He was playing his first game in 11 months after a serious back injury, but the outing wasn’t for his region, the Scarlets. Instead, Owens eased his way back with a 40-minute run-out for Carmarthen Quins in their home Welsh Premiership clash with Swansea.
While the Whites recorded a 24-10 victory, there was the added bonus for their players of facing an opponent who had started a Test for the British and Irish Lions against world champions South Africa barely 13 months earlier. Quite some tale to mull over in training at St Helen’s this week.
Owens took the pitch against a young dairy farmer from Maesybont who spent three years playing hooker with Llandovery before heading for the All Whites, with Bonymaen also benefiting from his services via a dual arrangement. Garan Williams is only 22, so directly opposing a player of Owens’ stature was something to be savoured.
“It was a fantastic experience,” Williams told WalesOnline. “When news came through that he could be in Quins’ front row you couldn’t help but look forward to it. You don’t have too many chances to play against a Wales international who’s a British and Irish Lion, after all.
“We’d heard rumours last Thursday that he would be playing. Everyone’s eyes opened a bit because he is a bit of an icon in rugby: The Sheriff.
“But it went well. He’s a humble guy who’s down to earth and he just played the game and got himself back into it.”
Williams continued: “I have massive respect for the bloke. We all know he’s a great rugby player but he’s also a nice guy off the field. When I went to the changing room for a shower he was doing interviews, but we had a chat afterwards, not about rugby, just hobbies and stuff. It was an honour to play against him.”
How did Owens perform, then?
“He threw well, his scrum was solid and he carried hard,” said Williams. “As he said, he was just getting back into it, blowing a bit of rust off. He’s a tough opponent to face.
“It meant a lot to all of us to play against him, but we wanted to focus on ourselves as well and play as a unit; thankfully, we did that. We’re a young side and we started playing rugby in the second half and came away with it a bit.”
The next step for Owens is to move up the gears at his own pace. Wales face New Zealand in Cardiff on November 5 but their long-time No. 2 and emotional touchstone first needs to bank several outings for the Scarlets before he can even think of anything else.
He will know time is against him but he is also unlikely to take risks after all the hard work he has put in. You can read more about his battle to return here.
After the game against Swansea, he said: "It was a good 40 minutes, I was blowing a bit and it was just nice to be back out on the field, just getting hit and being hit. The plan was to have 30 or 40 minutes...coming here is one of the reasons I was able to control the game time and see what happens in the next few weeks.
"It was good to be back playing, to be back in my home town Carmarthen. I am thankful to the Quins to allow me an opportunity to work my way back to fitness.
"I would not say Quins was my home club because I am a Carmarthen Athletic boy. But this town means a lot to me and everybody from both clubs have given me massive support. It was good to be back and see some old faces and do a bit for the town."
Quins have endured a challenging start to the campaign, but there were enough positives from the game with Swansea to provide hope for the rest of the season.
For the Whites, the aim is just to keep building. “We enjoyed a good win over Llanelli recently and were pleased with the way things went in Carmarthen,” Williams added.
“We have a really young side — last week I was the oldest in the pack and I’m only 22. This week I was second oldest behind Callum Bowden, our captain, who’s 26.
"It’s a good set-up to be a part of. We have some really good players pushing through. Harri Deaves, for instance, is an out-and-out seven who can do anything at ruck time, while there are others who can play as well. I’m enjoying it.
“Swansea have given me an opportunity and I’m grateful to them. They are a great club with a big history and it means a lot to play with them. The kitmen and the backroom staff are outstanding people, while there’s a good atmosphere in the squad and we’ve started the season well. So it’s good times.”
Memorable times, as well, on the evidence of Saturday afternoon in Carmarthen.
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