By Steffan Thomas
Ken Owens has revealed he was determined to recover from a back injury in order to resume a normal life rather than play rugby again for Wales.
The Scarlets hooker is set to play his first international match for 15 months when Wales face New Zealand at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
The 35-year-old is four matches into his comeback but could well be asked to start against the All Blacks as coach Wayne Pivac seeks the platform of a solid set-piece.
Rewind the clock back 11 months and the Wales and British & Irish Lions hooker was preparing to face the All Blacks.
Then, fate took a cruel twist when the 87-times capped forward sustained a nerve injury in his back during training.
“I decided early on that I would give myself every opportunity to return, because I knew even for life after rugby, I would need to do the rehab,” he says.
The road to recovery was less than straight forward, and he admits there were times he thought he may have played his final game of rugby.
“Yes, a couple of times but I think it was one of them I didn’t want to make the decision myself,” said Owens when asked if he doubted whether he’d ever return.
“I wanted to see what happened. The medical advice from the surgeon was the nerve can take a bit of time.
“There were certain times where I thought do we keep going through it but thankfully I tried to stay as positive as I could be and got through it.
“I think the biggest thing was probably if I’d made the decision, would I regret in years to come if I’d gone too soon? If I’d have come back, I’d have known if I was able to compete at this level or not.
“I think it was making sure I’d done everything in my power to come back before making that decision. I think if I hadn’t done that, I’d have regretted it in years to come.
“The last 11 months have been tough, mentally, physically, after getting injured this week last year. It’s been tough in a number of different ways, not sure whether I was going to recover or not, but it has been a bit of a refresh as well, which has been good.
There isn’t much Owens hasn’t achieved in the game with the experienced hooker having won four Six Nations Championships including two Grand Slams while he was a test Lions in New Zealand in 2017 and South Africa last summer.
Owens is one of the very few Welsh players to have beaten the All Blacks having figured in the Lions’ second Test victory in Wellington five years ago.
“It was making sure I’d done everything in my power to come back before making a decision.” 💪
Wales hooker Ken Owens has admitted there were times he doubted whether he would return from his long term injury 🏴#BBCRugby
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) November 1, 2022
But he has never beaten the men in black wearing the red of Wales which is something he dearly wants to tick off the list.
New Zealand may have endured a turbulent season losing two tests to Ireland and one on home soil to Argentina, but they did recover to win the Rugby Championship.
Owens, who is expected to be named in Wales’ squad this Saturday, is desperate to help his country stop a rot which has seen them lose 32 successive Tests against New Zealand.
“It would mean a hell of a lot,” said Owens. “Wales haven’t beaten New Zealand since 1953 and Llanelli were the last Welsh side to beat them.
“That shows you the challenge that is coming. Wins for Welsh teams are few and far between against New Zealand. It would be a nice little bit of history to be a part of.
And a big thank you to @KenOwens1088 and @cwmfarmsalami
This is different level Biltong. And we’re not just saying that because it’s Ken. It really is special.
You can try it here: https://t.co/6TTeaEEn27#doddie500#doddieaid#teamdragons pic.twitter.com/M3uzVuCQkG
— Team Dragons (@TeamDragons500) February 15, 2022
“It’s always meant the world to me, representing my country. Last time I played for Wales, we lost out in France in a Grand Slam decider. That still nags at the back of my head.
“They are an outstanding team and they have been for as long as I can remember. They are the standard bearers, and they still are.
“They had a bit of transition time over the past two years ,but you’ve seen their quality during the Rugby Championship and how they can bounce back from setbacks and produce quality performances.”