‘Hopefully we never find ourselves in this situation again’: Wales captain Ken Owens admits it was one of the most remarkable weeks of his career following Welsh rugby’s contract crisis…
- It was no surprise that Ken Owens looked tired on the eve of Friday’s clash with England
- Welsh players threatened to strike before an agreement was reached with bosses
- Owens and his team must now turn their attention to the action on the field
After a remarkable week in which he was both Wales captain and Wales rugby powerbroker, it was no surprise that Ken Owens looked tired on the eve of Friday’s clash with England.
“Don’t worry about me,” Owens said in a hoarse voice. ‘I’m fine.’
The 36-year-old admitted the past seven days have been the most remarkable period of his long career after he and his Welsh players threatened to go on strike ahead of the England match before a series of contractual disputes with their Welsh rugby team were agreed bosses.
“Hopefully we’ll never be in this situation again,” Owens said. “The biggest positive we can take from all of this is how united the players have been and how strongly we have supported each other.
“A lot of us senior players in Welsh rugby have been through this before. It certainly stimulated us and that is evident from the unity of the actions taken.’
Ken Owens admitted that the past seven days have been the most remarkable period of his long career
He and his Welsh players threatened to strike for the England match before a series of contractual disputes with their Welsh rugby bosses were agreed. Pictured: WRU Acting CEO Nigel Walker
After a tumultuous period that must be one of the greatest crises ever seen in Welsh rugby, Owens and his team must now somehow turn their attention to the action on the pitch.
Warren Gatland’s side took a beating from Ireland and Scotland in the first two rounds of the Six Nations and then the threat of a strike completely overshadowed the lead-up to England.
“We’re probably disappointed that it’s come to this, but as players we had to do it because there’s so much uncertainty involved,” Owens said.
“But it was put to bed on Wednesday and what’s done is done. Now we have to concentrate on the rugby.’
Wales flanker Justin Tipuric sat out Friday’s captain’s run session to manage his training load, but will still start against England.
“We need a win to put the pride back in the shirt after two defeats,” said Owens, who revealed he agreed with his Gatland head coach that previous Welsh successes had covered up the cracks of the country’s previous rugby troubles .
“It tries to end this saga on a positive note. We’ve had a lot of crisis in Welsh rugby at various points over the last 10 or 12 years and it’s almost been the national side that has performed to cover them.
“If the national team hadn’t won, this probably would have come to a head much sooner.”
Warren Gatland’s side was hammered by Ireland and Scotland in the first two rounds of the Six Nations and then the strike threat completely overshadowed the lead-up to England.
