'No regrets at all': Ben Mowen opens up on decision to quit Wallabies captaincy six years ago
Ben Mowen sent shockwaves throughout Australian rugby six years ago when the then-Wallabies captain left his national duties behind to pursue an opportunity in France.
Mowen was named as the captain for the Grand Slam tour in November of 2013, after having made his test match debut just four months earlier.
But after donning Australian gold in 15 test matches, the back rower announced his decision to leave Australian rugby behind to sign with French club Montpellier on a three-year-deal.
At the time, Mowen was adamant that he wouldn’t end up regretting his decision to quit the captaincy and head overseas.
Reflecting on his choice all these years later, the 35-year-old opens up on just how difficult it was to leave, but why he still wouldn’t change a thing.
“Even though I knew the timing was right in my decision, it was extremely tough to give up because that’d been the only thing that I’d dreamt about since I was a little fella,” Mowen told RugbyPass.
“I had a sticker above my bed since the age of three saying ‘I want to be a Wallaby’, and that’s all I’d ever wanted to be. To achieve that goal was amazing for me and is certainly something that I cherish.”
After stints at the Reds and Waratahs, Mowen appeared right at home playing for the ACT Brumbies in Super Rugby, including captaining the side in the 2013 final against the Chiefs in Hamilton.
It proved to be a big year for the loose forward, who made his Wallabies debut during the “travelling expo of rugby-mad people” that was the British and Irish Lions tour. He got his first cap playing blindside flanker in his hometown of Brisbane.
Following the 2-1 series loss to the Lions, Robbie Deans stepped down as the national coach and was replaced by Ewen McKenzie for the Rugby Championship. McKenzie’s tenure began with a run of poor performances, losing four matches out of six and slumping to a third-placed finish.
McKenzie made a headline decision for the opening match of the end of year tour, dropping James Horwill as captain and replacing him with Mowen, who had previously become Australia’s 80th captain against Argentina in Perth.
Mowen led his side to a near Grand Slam, losing to England by seven points at Twickenham before beating Italy, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
RA is set to rebuff a proposal by NZR for an eight-team competition featuring just two Australian teams, but Rennie is confident a solution will be brokered between the two nations.https://t.co/HuF1tUECxz
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Reflecting on his first tour captaining the Wallabies, Mowen seemed proud of his sides efforts as they overcame the “challenge” of the change in coach to finish on a high.
“We went through some tough periods there, a couple of close, tough losses to the All Blacks and South Africa.
“To pop out the other side of that and have a really good finish to the year where we won five of our six final games and to just miss out on the Grand Slam, was pretty special.”
In January following the tour, Mowen announced his decision to put family above what he’d been dreaming about since he was three. Just a year out from the World Cup in England, Mowen left those aspirations behind to experience more of what the game could offer.
While his time playing in Australia wasn’t perfect, Mowen still has “no regrets at all” about moving on.
“I’d always had in the back of my mind that I wanted the full rugby experience, which for me entailed living overseas – not just for a year or two but for a period of time to have a base over there to travel, but to enjoy the different lifestyle and get exposed culturally off the field.
“I knew in my final year of Australian rugby that that would be that year; that I’d have to make some big decisions.
“I felt comfortable and I felt that I’d given a good portion of my dedicated life to it, and that I was ready for something else. The timing worked out really well.
“I would’ve liked to have been part of a period in Australian rugby where we won some silverware, we obviously came very close with the Brumbies losing the Super Rugby Final, and we missed the Grand Slam tour by a try against England.”
Mowen put to pen with Montpellier to prioritise time with his then two-year-old daughter Eleanor, signing a contract that kept him at the club in 2016.
But after leaving Les Cistes, he continued his career and experiences in France with a deal at Pau. In Pau he opened a café with his life Lauren called BEANZ, which still operates today.
While his three children, two who were born in France, are all fluent in French, Mowen laughed off his ability in comparison before describing just why his time overseas was, as he said, “perfect.”
The Highlanders have named a settled team to face off against the Crusaders on Sunday, making just one change to their starting side.https://t.co/Gqbi7X1HPZ
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“We took our two-year-old daughter Eleanor, and in the first years I hadn’t been able to spend a whole lot of time at home with her. Then to have the kids over there and pretty much spending one or two nights away a fortnight maximum; each day I brought the kids to school, picked them up from school, it was a balanced family life.
“My wife’s restaurant was in the heart of town so she’d ride her bike in, everything was centred around family and balance.
“I wouldn’t change that for the world. You’ve got to chase your dreams with absolutely everything you’ve got, and I think that’s why I felt really comfortable making that decision because I poured everything into it.”
Mowen and his family began their move back to Australia towards the backend of 2019, where he offered his services to his junior club for their finals push.
Easts Tigers ended up qualifying for the first round of finals in Queensland’s Premier Rugby competition, with the number eight helping out the side coached by former Fijian captain, Mosese Rauluni.
He added that returning to his boyhood club was a fitting end to his career, with it all being part of his plan to go full circle with his playing days.
“Right from when I started my professional career, I always wanted to finish with one good year at clubland, not just playing a game or two at the end like last year but giving an actual full season. I feel really blessed that that’s worked out the way it has and that I get to do that with my junior club.”
Mowen ran out for the Tigers in their first match of the delayed season last Saturday, named as the captain of the side.
But after taking up an opportunity with the Junior Wallabies in January, he has his sights set on a coaching career after his playing days are over.
“I’ve always felt that I’d be a better coach than a player. One of my main skill sets as a player was that I was a good leader because I was a good organiser of people.
“The last two years or two of my footy career, I was more excited about moving into that aspect of footy rather than the playing [side].”
Mowen is also working part-time with the Queensland Reds academy, while the Junior Wallabies campaign has been put on hold for the foreseeable future.
Comments on RugbyPass
Results probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
1 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to comments