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Wales hooker Ken Owens warns England to expect intensity despite no fans

By PA
(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Wales hooker Ken Owens has warned England to expect no less intensity at an empty Principality Stadium than if there were 70,000 Welsh fans screaming at them.

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Eddie Jones says his England side are suffering from the drop in aggression that is evident across rugby and football due to the coronavirus-enforced absence of spectators at grounds.

England suffered their first Twickenham defeat to Scotland since 1983 before beating Italy 41-18 in another underwhelming home display.

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But Wales have registered wins against Ireland and Scotland to head into Saturday’s home game with England dreaming of Six Nations Grand Slam glory.

“I think the two games we’ve played have been really physical, top-end Test matches,” Owens said.

“It feels exactly at the level we’ve had in previous years playing in Six Nations, how Test rugby should be played.”

On the absence of crowds, Owens said: “People have heard me singing the anthem out of tune, which hasn’t been great.

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“It is different. In the Ireland game all the pyrotechnics stopped and then there was this deathly silence, which was almost surreal. You didn’t know what to make of it.

“It obviously does have an affect not having a crowd because you feed off the energy of the crowd and that atmosphere pushes on.

“I can probably see what he (Jones) is on about to a certain degree. Back-to-back efforts, especially defensively, and a couple of big hits, if you get a tackle on the front foot you are feeding off the energy of the crowd.

“But it’s something we’ve all got to deal with and learn to adapt. We’ve had enough time and everybody’s in the same boat.

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“As a professional player there’s no real excuse. You have to find your own motivation, that energy to play at the intensity needed in Test level.”

Wales won a 12th Grand Slam under Warren Gatland two years ago, the third leg of which was a 21-13 victory over England in Cardiff.

But expectations were low this year after autumn defeats to Scotland, Ireland and England in various competitions piled the pressure on head coach Wayne Pivac.

“In the past we had a bit of expectation, the autumn we’d had going into 2019 was really good,” said the 79-times capped Owens.

“We’ve gone under the radar the first two weeks, no one really expected anything from us coming into the competition this year.

“But it’s similar how the games are set up, a week off leading into England with areas to improve and step up. It’s all about momentum now and keeping it up there.

“Everyone was really frustrated with the autumn. There was a lot of hard work put in which was perhaps maybe not quite translated on to the field.

“The time the boys and coaches have spent to get through that period, plus the review in between has really helped.”

Owens should lock hooking horns with British and Irish Lions teammate Jamie George in Cardiff.

Saracens star George started the three Tests on the Lions’ 2017 tour of New Zealand with Owens his deputy.

“I’ve always rated Jamie as a player and got on with him as a bloke as well,” Owens said.

“I saw the energy he brought, he’s always been great around the field, dynamic carrier, good defenders, set-piece wise he’s a great scrummager and very accurate at the line-out.

“Working with him, both of us pushing each other along with Rory Best, I think we got the best out of each as a unit, as a three on that Lions tour.

“It’s been great to see how he’s really kicked on since that tour, prominent during the World Cup campaign and very set as first-choice with England. He’s one of the best in the world.”

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Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

32 Go to comments
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Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

32 Go to comments
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