The 2010 end-of-year rugby union tests , also known as the Autumn internationals in the northern hemisphere, saw Argentina , Australia , New Zealand and South Africa in a competitive tour of the northern hemisphere. Test matches were also arranged with the various Pacific island teams and other non-Tier 1 international sides. This period also marked the conclusion of the 2011 Rugby World Cup qualifying process, as well as the beginning of the European Nations Cup .
143-407: Kenneth James Owens (born 3 January 1987) is a former Welsh rugby union player who played as a hooker for the Scarlets and Wales . He made his debut for the Scarlets in 2006, taking over from Matthew Rees as their first-choice hooker upon Rees' departure for the Cardiff Blues in 2013. He also served as backup to Rees, among others, for Wales following his debut against Namibia at
286-530: A first language is largely concentrated in the less urban north and west of Wales, principally Gwynedd , inland Conwy and Denbighshire , northern and south-western Powys , the Isle of Anglesey , Carmarthenshire , North Pembrokeshire , Ceredigion , and parts of western Glamorgan , although first-language and other fluent speakers can be found throughout Wales. However, Cardiff is now home to an urban Welsh-speaking population (both from other parts of Wales and from
429-736: A 20–18 loss to France on the final day; he played the entire game, including the 20 minutes of injury time at the end of the second half. Owens' form for Wales led to him being suggested as a potential selection for the British & Irish Lions' 2017 tour to New Zealand. When the squad was announced in April 2017, Owens was on holiday in Pembrokeshire . He was named as one of three hookers along with England's Jamie George and Ireland's Rory Best. Despite suffering an injury on club duty in May 2017, Owens
572-539: A 24–3 win, before retaining his place on the bench for the final game against France, in which he played the final 17 minutes as Wales won their third Grand Slam of the Six Nations era. Owens was picked along with Hibbard and Rees for Wales' 2012 tour of Australia . He was left out of the pre-tour match against the Barbarians, but was given his second start for Wales in the first test against Australia ; he played
715-766: A 34–32 loss to the Dragons in the Judgement Day event at the Millennium Stadium meant the Scarlets finished fourth in their Pro14 conference, forcing a play-off against the Ospreys to determine which side would qualify for the Champions Cup. The Ospreys won the play-off 21–10, ending the Scarlets' run of qualifying for the top-tier European competition every year since their inception. At the end of
858-755: A British national identity only. Most residents of Wales (96 per cent, 2.9 million) reported at least one national identity of English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British. A survey published in 2001, by the Centre for Research into Elections and Social Trends at Oxford University (sample size 1161), found that 14.6 per cent of respondents described themselves as British, not Welsh; 8.3 per cent saw themselves as more British than Welsh; 39.0 per cent described themselves as equally Welsh and British; 20.2 per cent saw themselves as more Welsh than British; and 17.9 per cent described themselves as Welsh, not British. Forms of Christianity have dominated religious life in what
1001-407: A Celtic League match against Border Reivers . With Rees at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and Aled Gravelle out with a foot injury, Owens began the 2007–08 season competing with James Hayter to be the Scarlets' starting hooker. He was a replacement for the first five games of the season and started against Ulster on 12 October 2007, but Rees' return and a knee injury meant he did not play again until
1144-534: A Scottish ethnicity tick-box be included in the census in Scotland, and with this inclusion as many as 88.11% claimed Scottish ethnicity. Critics argued that a higher proportion of respondents would have described themselves as of Welsh ethnicity had a Welsh tick-box been made available. Additional criticism was levelled at the timing of the census, which was taken in the middle of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth crisis . Organisers said that this had not affected
1287-716: A Welsh Mormon settlement, lays claim to a greater proportion of inhabitants of Welsh descent than anywhere outside Wales itself. Malad's local High School is known as the "Malad Dragons", and flies the Welsh Flag as its school colours. Welsh people have also settled in New Zealand and Australia. Around 1.75 million Americans report themselves to have Welsh ancestry, as did 458,705 Canadians in Canada's 2011 census . This compares with 2.9 million people living in Wales (as of
1430-547: A box describing themselves as of Scottish or of Irish ethnicity, an option not available for Welsh or English respondents. Prior to the census, Plaid Cymru backed a petition calling for the inclusion of a Welsh tick-box and for the National Assembly to have primary law-making powers and its own National Statistics Office . In the absence of a Welsh tick-box, the only tick-boxes available were 'white-British,' 'Irish', or 'other'. The Scottish parliament insisted that
1573-542: A capital at Din Eidyn ( Edinburgh ) and extending from the area of Stirling to the Tyne. Offa's Dyke was erected in the mid-8th century, forming a barrier between Wales and Mercia . The process whereby the indigenous population of Wales came to think of themselves as "Welsh" (a name applied to them by Anglo-Saxon settlers ) is not clear. There is plenty of evidence of the use of the term Brythoniaid (Britons); meanwhile,
SECTION 10
#17327868076801716-679: A common ancestry, history and culture . Wales is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom . The majority of people living in Wales are British citizens . In Wales, the Welsh language ( Welsh : Cymraeg ) is protected by law. Welsh remains the predominant language in many parts of Wales, particularly in North Wales and parts of West Wales , though English is the predominant language in South Wales . The Welsh language
1859-498: A distinct genetic difference between those from northern and southern Wales, which was interpreted as the legacy of Little England beyond Wales . A study of a diverse sample of 2,039 individuals from the United Kingdom allowed the creation of a genetic map and the suggestion that there was a substantial migration of peoples from Europe prior to Roman times forming a strong ancestral component across England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, but which had little impact in Wales. Wales forms
2002-765: A distinct genetic group, followed by a further division between north and south Wales, although there was evidence of a genetic difference between north and south Pembrokeshire as separated by the Landsker line . Speaking of these results, Professor Peter Donnelly , of the University of Oxford, said that the Welsh carry DNA which could be the most ancient in UK and that people from Wales are genetically relatively distinct. The population of Wales doubled from 587,000 in 1801 to 1,163,000 in 1851 and had reached 2,421,000 by 1911. Most of
2145-605: A friendly against France and the COVID-postponed Six Nations match against Scotland in October 2020. He made his return in January 2021, just in time to be named in the Wales squad for the 2021 Six Nations . He was named in the starting line-up for the opening match against Ireland, his first start for Wales in 11 months, and played the full 80 minutes as they came from behind to win 21–16. He started each of
2288-411: A new contract with the Scarlets, committing himself to the region until 2013. He missed only two games throughout the season due to Rees' Wales commitments, starting in all but six of his appearances, and scoring a try in a 27–14 loss away to Leinster on 20 February 2010. In 2010–11, Owens served as back-up to Rees, taking advantage of Rees' absence with Wales to start in six out of seven matches during
2431-450: A new contract with the Scarlets, ending speculation that the WRU would need to sign him to a National Dual Contract to prevent him chasing a move outside Wales. After being rested for the Scarlets' final Anglo-Welsh Cup match against Sale Sharks , Owens missed just one of the last nine games of the season, again scoring back-to-back tries against the Dragons and Blues; his try against the Dragons
2574-678: A pre-tour training camp in Jersey, he started the home match against Japan at Murrayfield , playing almost 55 minutes before being replaced by Jamie George. He was left out for the team's first match in South Africa against the Lions , before being restored to the bench for the next two games, both against the Sharks. He then started the Lions' game against South Africa A , playing for 50 minutes as
2717-464: A replacement for the second test; however, this time he did not come on as the Lions won 24–21. Again a replacement for the third test, he came on for the final 11 minutes with New Zealand leading 15–12. After a penalty from Owen Farrell levelled the scores with three minutes to go, Owens was penalised for being accidentally offside; referee Romain Poite originally awarded a penalty that would have given
2860-409: A return to training". In September 2022, Peel said Owens was in contention to return to action by that November. After 11 months out injured, he made his return to rugby with Scarlets feeder club Carmarthen Quins on 24 September 2022. He played his first game for the Scarlets in just under a year the following week, coming off the bench at half-time in a 34–23 loss to Treviso. He was again a replacement
3003-503: A shoulder injury sustained against Glasgow on 11 October 2020 that would rule him out for 3–4 months. He returned to action in January 2021, taking part in the Scarlets' warm-up ahead of their game against the Dragons on 2 January, before being named in the line-up for their 13–10 loss to the Blues on 22 January. After returning from Six Nations duty, Owens played just three more games for the Scarlets, first in their 57–14 loss to Sale Sharks in
SECTION 20
#17327868076803146-475: Is a fluent Welsh speaker. Although he was almost signed as a goalkeeper by Carmarthen Town AFC , Owens chose to stick to rugby and began his career as a youth player at Carmarthen Athletic before joining the Llanelli Scarlets academy in 2004. He moved to play his club rugby for UWIC RFC when he began studying at the university in 2005. Owens made his debut for the Llanelli Scarlets towards
3289-532: Is a focal point for many Welsh Hindus. There are about 2,000 Sikhs in Wales, with the first purpose-built gurdwara opened in the Riverside area of Cardiff in 1989. The Sabbatarian temperance movement was also historically strong among the Welsh; the sale of alcohol was prohibited on Sundays in Wales by the Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 – the first legislation specifically issued for Wales since
3432-534: Is also taught in schools in Wales; and, even in regions of Wales in which Welsh people predominantly speak English on a daily basis, the Welsh language is spoken at home among family or in informal settings, with Welsh speakers often engaging in code-switching and translanguaging . In the English-speaking areas of Wales, many Welsh people are bilingually fluent or semi-fluent in the Welsh language or, to varying degrees, capable of speaking or understanding
3575-536: Is now Wales for more than 1,400 years. Most Welsh people of faith are affiliated with the Church in Wales or other Christian denominations such as the Presbyterian Church of Wales , Catholicism , and Russian Orthodox Christianity. Wales has a long tradition of nonconformism and Methodism . Some Welsh people are affiliated with either Buddhism , Hinduism , Judaism , Islam or Sikhism . In
3718-469: Is the Welsh name for Wales. These words (both of which are pronounced Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkəm.ri] ) are descended from the Brythonic word kombrogi , meaning "fellow-countrymen". Thus, they carry a sense of "land of fellow-countrymen", "our country", and notions of fraternity. The use of the word Cymry as a self-designation derives from the post-Roman Era relationship of the Welsh with
3861-464: Is uncertain how many people in Wales considered themselves to be of Welsh ethnicity; the 2001 UK census did not offer 'Welsh' as an option; respondents had to use a box marked "Other". Ninety-six per cent of the population of Wales thus described themselves as being White British . Controversy surrounding the method of determining ethnicity began as early as 2000, when it was revealed that respondents in Scotland and Northern Ireland would be able to tick
4004-629: Is your country of birth? and How would you describe your national identity? (for the first time 'Welsh' and 'English' were included as options), What is your ethnic group? ('White Welsh/English/Scottish/Northern Irish/British' was an option) and Can you understand, speak, read or write Welsh? . As of the 2011 census in Wales, 66 per cent (2.0 million) of residents reported a Welsh national identity (either on its own or combined with other identities). Of these, 218,000 responded that they had Welsh and British national identity. Just under 17 per cent (519,000) of people in Wales considered themselves to have
4147-480: The 2001 census ). There is no known evidence which would objectively support the legend that the Mandan , a Native American tribe of the central United States, are Welsh emigrants who reached North America under Prince Madog in 1170. The Ukrainian city of Donetsk was founded in 1869 by a Welsh businessman, John Hughes (an engineer from Merthyr Tydfil ) who constructed a steel plant and several coal mines in
4290-443: The 2009 Autumn internationals ; however, Wales coach Warren Gatland picked only two hookers for the series, omitting Owens, which Jones described as "surprising". Owens was again left out of the Wales squad for the 2010 Six Nations when it was announced in January 2010; however, due to injuries to hookers Matthew Rees and Gareth Williams , Owens was added to the squad on 15 February as backup to Ospreys hooker Huw Bennett ahead of
4433-465: The 2010 Autumn internationals ; however, he suffered a recurrence of a neck injury in late 2010, and underwent surgery in January 2011 that ruled him out for the next four months. He recovered in time to be named on the bench for the Scarlets' 38–23 final-day win over the Cardiff Blues , but he did not come on. Owens was called up to the Wales training camp ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup at
Ken Owens - Misplaced Pages Continue
4576-554: The 2011 Rugby World Cup , Owens was left out of their squad for a match against the Barbarians in May 2011, with Bennett, Hibbard and Lloyd Burns the preferred trio of hookers. When Gatland announced his 45-man squad for the World Cup training camp in June 2011, Owens was again overlooked in favour of Matthew Rees' return to the squad; however, when Hibbard underwent shoulder surgery later that month, ruling him out for 10–12 weeks, Owens
4719-408: The 2011 Rugby World Cup . In 2016, he took over as Wales' first-choice hooker, and in January 2023, following almost a year out with a back injury, he was named as captain for the 2023 Six Nations Championship . Owens is the son of Delme Owens, a former rugby player who played for Carmarthen Athletic RFC as a second row and later became the club's president; along with his wife Frankie, he also ran
4862-425: The 2015 Rugby World Cup , and despite being left out of their first warm-up match against Ireland on 8 August 2015, he survived the first cut a week later. He then started the return match against Ireland on 29 August, after which he was named as one of two hookers in the final 31-man squad. He started the final warm-up against Italy on 5 September, but then did not start any of the matches at the tournament, coming off
5005-476: The All Blacks , all of which Wales lost. From that point, Owens became Wales' first-choice hooker, starting the matches against Australia, Argentina and South Africa during the 2016 Autumn internationals, and scoring Wales' opening try – his third at international level – in the South Africa match, which Wales won 27–13. He then started all five matches in the 2017 Six Nations , including earning his 50th cap in
5148-604: The Aviva Stadium , which replaces Lansdowne Road as the side's long-term home and ends the temporary arrangement with the Gaelic Athletic Association which allowed the team to play home matches at Croke Park . The series also marked the first time that two Southern Hemisphere nations simultaneously attempted Grand Slam tours of all four Home Nations , with both New Zealand and South Africa playing all four countries. The Springboks went 3–1 against
5291-493: The Challenge Cup . In 2012–13, Owens started just two of the Scarlets' eight games before he was called up to the Wales team for the 2012 Autumn internationals. He returned on the bench for their Heineken Cup match against Exeter on 8 December, before starting the return fixture at Sandy Park a week later. He scored a try in the match, which the Scarlets lost 30–20, but suffered popped rib cartilage that ruled him out for
5434-657: The Iron Age , though some archaeologists argue that there is no evidence for large-scale Iron Age migrations into Great Britain, in which case the Celticisation of Britain would have occurred through cultural diffusion. Most people in Wales today regard themselves as modern Celts , claiming a heritage back to the Iron Age tribes. When the Roman legions departed Britain around 400, a Romano-British culture remained in
5577-497: The Isle of Anglesey (19%). Among respondents between 16 and 74 years of age, those claiming Welsh ethnicity were predominantly in professional and managerial occupations. In advance of the 2011 UK Census, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) launched a census consultation exercise. They received replies from 28 different Welsh organisations and a large proportion of these referred to Welsh ethnicity, language or identity. For
5720-620: The Norman Conquest , and several Normans encouraged immigration to their new lands; the Landsker Line dividing the Pembrokeshire "Englishry" and "Welshry" is still detectable today. The terms Englishry and Welshry are used similarly about Gower . Recent research on ancient DNA has concluded that much of Britain's Neolithic population was replaced by Beaker people in the Bronze Age . The British groups encountered by
5863-735: The University of Wales Trinity Saint David in his home town of Carmarthen. On 5 August 2019, Owens was inducted into the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Llanrwst . He will use the bardic name "Cen y Siryf" (English: Ken the Sheriff ), in reference to his nickname. Welsh people Modern ethnicities The Welsh ( Welsh : Cymry ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Wales who share
Ken Owens - Misplaced Pages Continue
6006-474: The summer tour of South Africa ; this allowed Owens – who suffered a minor injury playing for the Probables side in a pre-tour trial match – to hold onto his role as the starting hooker, having been named alongside Matthew Rees and Scott Baldwin as the three hookers on tour. Rees and Baldwin played in the tour match against Eastern Province Kings , but Owens started both tests against South Africa; his try in
6149-541: The 2001, around 7,000 classified themselves as following "other religions", including a reconstructed form of Druidism , which was the pre-Christian religion of Wales (not to be confused with the Druids of the Gorsedd at the National Eisteddfod of Wales). Approximately one third of the population, some 980,000 people, profess no religious faith whatsoever. The census showed that slightly fewer than 10% of
6292-430: The 2012 Six Nations. Owens' wife Carys is a television producer who is currently the managing director of Whisper Cymru, the Welsh arm of Whisper Productions, the production company founded by Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard . She accompanied Owens on the 2017 Lions tour, along with Owens' parents, while Owens' sister and friends joined them for the test series. In July 2019, Owens was given an honorary fellowship at
6435-472: The 2013–14 season as the Scarlets' first-choice hooker, and he started four of their first five games of the campaign; however, a combination of an abdominal injury suffered ahead of their first Heineken Cup game against Harlequins and a call-up to the Wales team for the 2013 Autumn internationals meant he missed the next eight games, making his return in the Heineken Cup double-header against Clermont at
6578-460: The 64th minute. Owens has been described as a "steady" line-out thrower and "very dynamic in the loose", with the ability to "pop up with spectacular tries". Owens' sister, Vicky, is also a Wales international rugby player, having played for the Wales women's team . She earned her first cap before Owens, and the two played at Twickenham on the same day that Owens made his first start for Wales during
6721-475: The All Blacks the chance to win the game, but he overturned his decision on review and awarded a scrum instead, and both the match and the series finished as draws. Owens played in just two of Wales' tests in the 2017 Autumn internationals , against Australia and New Zealand, before playing in all five of their 2018 Six Nations matches, albeit coming off the bench for the penultimate match against Italy. He
6864-710: The Blues and the Dragons in the league, the latter marking his 250th appearance for the Scarlets, before losing to Toulon in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup . After being appointed as the players' representative on the Scarlets' board, as well as being named to the International Rugby Players council, Owens began a seventh straight year as captain in 2020–21, breaking the Llanelli record held by Phil Bennett. However, he played just two matches before requiring surgery on
7007-552: The Brythonic-speaking peoples of northern England and southern Scotland, the peoples of " Yr Hen Ogledd " (English: The Old North ). The word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century. It is attested in a praise poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan ( Moliant Cadwallon , by Afan Ferddig) c. 633 . In Welsh literature , the word Cymry was used throughout the Middle Ages to describe
7150-535: The Champions Cup on 12 January, scoring one of the Scarlets' five tries in a 33–10 win. Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac praised Owens' performance in an unfamiliar position. Owens signed a new contract with the Scarlets in March 2019. Despite missing long spells of the season due to Wales involvement, Owens returned to action for the Scarlets in April 2019, but he was unable to help them into the European qualification spots;
7293-541: The Champions Cup. The 2015–16 season saw Owens have reduced opportunities with the Scarlets due to his involvement with the Wales team at the World Cup at the start of the season, as well as the Autumn internationals and the Six Nations. Nevertheless, he started 13 matches in all competitions, plus another two substitute appearances, and scored a try in the 29–27 loss to the Cardiff Blues on 1 January 2016. In 2016–17,
SECTION 50
#17327868076807436-476: The Dragons on 21 December 2019, which the Dragons won 22–20. However, he only played four more games (three as a starter) before being called up for Wales duty in the 2020 Six Nations , which was later interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic , stopping all rugby until August 2020. Owens played in all three of the Scarlets' remaining matches, confirming their qualification for the 2020–21 Champions Cup with wins over
7579-739: The English language. Patagonian Welsh (Cymraeg y Wladfa) is a dialect of the Welsh language which is spoken in Y Wladfa in the Argentine region, Patagonia . There has been migration from Wales to the rest of Britain throughout its history. During the Industrial Revolution thousands of Welsh people migrated, for example, to Liverpool and Ashton-in-Makerfield . As a result, some people from England, Scotland and Ireland have Welsh surnames. Welsh settlers moved to other parts of Europe, concentrated in certain areas. During
7722-571: The Home Nations, losing to Scotland , and also lost to the Barbarians , but the All Blacks were successful for the fourth time and third since 2005. New Zealand entered the series on a winning streak of 15 Tests. The current record for "Tier 1" nations is 17, which they hold jointly with South Africa; the absolute record is 18, held by Lithuania . New Zealand's streak ended with a 26-24 loss to Australia in their opening game. In all, 24 of
7865-574: The Industrial Revolution. The English were the most numerous group, but there were also considerable numbers of Irish; and smaller numbers of other ethnic groups, including Italians migrated to South Wales. Wales received other immigration from various parts of the British Commonwealth of Nations in the 20th century, and African-Caribbean and Asian communities immigrated particularly to urban Wales. In 2001, it
8008-600: The Iron Age and Roman era Britons showed strong similarities with both each other and modern-day Welsh populations, while modern southern and eastern English groups were closer to a later Anglo-Saxon burial. Another study, using Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon samples from Cambridgeshire, concluded that modern Welsh people carry a 30% genetic contribution from Anglo-Saxon settlers in the post-Roman period; however, this could have been brought about due to later migration from England into Wales. A third study, published in 2020 and based on Viking era data from across Europe, suggested that
8151-631: The Jewish population of that area, which reached a peak of 4,000–5,000 in 1913, has declined; only Cardiff has retained a sizeable Jewish population, of about 2000 in the 2001 Census. The largest non-Christian faith in Wales is Islam, with about 22,000 members in 2001 served by about 40 mosques, following the first mosque established in Cardiff . A college for training clerics has been established at Llanybydder in West Wales . Islam arrived in Wales in
8294-483: The Lions suffered their first loss on tour. He was then rested for the final tour match against the Stormers, ahead of being named on the bench for the first test a week later. He came on for try-scorer Luke Cowan-Dickie in the 56th minute as the Lions won 22–17. Despite Cowan-Dickie's struggles at the line-out, he retained his place in the team ahead of Owens for the second test, who again came on around 15 minutes into
8437-536: The Middle Ages. From the early 1960s, local council areas were permitted to hold referendums every seven years to determine whether they should be "wet" or "dry" on Sundays: most of the industrialised areas in the east and south went "wet" immediately, and by the 1980s the last district, Dwyfor in the northwest, went wet; since then there have been no more Sunday-closing referendums. Despite Christianity dominating Wales, more ancient traditions persisted. In 1874 it
8580-592: The Romans were thus largely descended from these Beaker populations. The post-Roman period saw a significant alteration in the genetic makeup of southern Britain due to the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons; however, historical evidence suggests that Wales was little affected by these migrations. A study published in 2016 compared samples from modern Britain and Ireland with DNA found in skeletons from Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon era Yorkshire. The study found that most of
8723-513: The Scarlets on one of those starts, the only try in a 13–6 win over Edinburgh on 8 March 2009. With Rees on tour with the British & Irish Lions in South Africa, Owens began the 2009–10 season as the Scarlets' first-choice hooker, and in the third game of the season in September 2009, he gave a man-of-the-match performance in a 22–20 home defeat to Munster . In December 2009, Owens signed
SECTION 60
#17327868076808866-441: The Scarlets recovered from three straight defeats at the start of the Pro12 campaign to lose just twice more all season, finishing third in the league and qualifying for the play-offs. Owens started 12 of the team's 22 league matches, scoring a try in the 51–5 win over Benetton Treviso on 8 April, his 200th appearance for the region, but missed out on the play-offs due to an ankle injury; the Scarlets went on to beat Leinster 27–15 in
9009-484: The US may have been 26 times greater than Welsh emigration), to many countries, including the US (in particular, Pennsylvania ), Canada and Y Wladfa in Patagonia , Argentina. Jackson County, Ohio was sometimes referred to as "Little Wales", and one of several communities where Welsh was widely spoken. There was a Welsh language press but by the late 1940s, the last Welsh language newspaper, y Drych began to publish in English. Malad City in Idaho , which began as
9152-439: The Ulster squad. Jonathan Davies was named captain of the Scarlets for the 2021–22 season, ending Owens' run of seven straight years in the role, though Owens signed a new contract with the Scarlets, keeping him with the region until after the 2023 Rugby World Cup . Owens' involvement in the Lions' tour to South Africa during the summer meant he missed the start of the Scarlets' season, and played just twice before being named in
9295-406: The United Kingdom, 4.7% in New Zealand, 4.1% in Australia, and 3.8% in the United States, with an estimated 16.3 million people in the countries studied having at least partial Welsh ancestry. Over 300,000 Welsh people live in London . The names "Wales" and "Welsh" are modern descendants of the Anglo-Saxon word wealh , a descendant of the Proto-Germanic word walhaz , which was derived from
9438-405: The Wales squad for the 2021 Autumn internationals , making his comeback in a 43–10 loss at home to a second-string Munster side. While on Wales duty, Owens was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in his back and returned to the Scarlets for treatment. He was later ruled out until after the Six Nations, before his season was declared over in April 2022, with coach Dwayne Peel saying he was "nowhere near
9581-463: The Welsh population are regular church or chapel goers (a slightly smaller proportion than in England or Scotland), although about 58% of the population see themselves as Christian in some form. Judaism has quite a long history in Wales, with a Jewish community recorded in Swansea from around 1730. In August 1911, during a period of public order and industrial disputes, Jewish shops across the South Wales coalfield were damaged by mobs. Since that time
9724-417: The Welsh trace, on average, 58% of their ancestry to the Brittonic people, up to 22% from a Danish-like source interpreted as largely representing the Anglo-Saxons, 3% from Norwegian Vikings, and 13% from further south in Europe such as Italy , to a lesser extent, Spain and can possibly be related to French immigration during the Norman period. A 2015 genetic survey of modern British population groups found
9867-436: The Welsh, though the older, more generic term Brythoniaid continued to be used to describe any of the Britonnic peoples , including the Welsh, and was the more common literary term until c. 1100 . Thereafter Cymry prevailed as a reference to the Welsh. Until c. 1560 the word was spelt Kymry or Cymry , regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland. During their time in Britain ,
10010-416: The World Cup, which included Owens as one of three hookers along with Elliot Dee and Scarlets teammate Ryan Elias. Owens started each of Wales' first three Pool D matches, winning all of them, including a six-try victory over Georgia and a 29–25 win over Australia, although he was sin-binned early in the game against Fiji for a dangerous tackle. With Wales' qualification for the knockout stage secure, he
10153-401: The acquisition of Welsh is a gateway to better careers, according to research from the Welsh Language Board and Careers Wales. The Welsh Government identified media as one of six areas likely to experience greater demand for Welsh speakers: the sector is Wales's third-largest revenue earner. Although Welsh is a minority language , and thus threatened by the dominance of English, support for
10296-693: The ancient Romans encountered tribes in present-day Wales that they called the Ordovices , the Demetae , the Silures and the Deceangli . The people of what is now Wales were not distinguished from the rest of the peoples of southern Britain; all were called Britons and spoke Common Brittonic , a Celtic language . This language, and Celtic culture more generally, seems to have arrived in Britain during
10439-403: The areas the Romans had settled, and the pre-Roman cultures in others. The people in what is now Wales continued to speak Common Brittonic with significant influence from Latin , as did people in other areas of western and northern Britain; this language eventually evolved into Old Welsh . The surviving poem Y Gododdin is in early Welsh and refers to the British kingdom of Gododdin with
10582-402: The bench for the match, coming on for Benoît August for the final 10 minutes as the Barbarians lost 35–26. Matthew Rees and Huw Bennett played in all three of Wales' summer tests, leaving Owens still without a cap, a run that continued through the 2010 Autumn internationals and the 2011 Six Nations , when Rees, Bennett and Richard Hibbard were preferred. As Wales began their preparations for
10725-443: The bench to replace Scott Baldwin in all four pool matches and the 23–19 loss to South Africa in the quarter-finals. Owens remained behind Baldwin in the pecking order for the 2016 Six Nations , coming off the bench in all five matches as Wales finished second behind England. In the summer, he was selected for Wales' tour of New Zealand . Though he was left out of the warm-up match against England, he started all three tests against
10868-497: The bench; however, Owens did not come on as Wales won 23–21. Bennett again started the match against Scotland the following week, but this time Owens was able to make his Six Nations debut, first coming on as a temporary blood replacement for Bennett in the 10th minute, before a permanent substitution at half-time; Wales won the match 27–13. Like Rees, Bennett suffered a calf injury during the game, resulting in Hibbard being recalled to
11011-461: The club's junior section. His maternal grandparents, Kenneth Bryan Maynard and Sarah Mary Lorraine Maynard, were both mayors of Carmarthen , and Kenneth also served as chairman of Dyfed County Council , leading to Owens being given the nickname "The Sheriff" by Scarlets teammate and future coach Dwayne Peel in Owens' first season with the Scarlets. Owens attended Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin , and
11154-414: The earliest use of the word Kymry (referring not to the people but to the land—and possibly to northern Britain in addition to Wales) is found in a poem c. 633 . The name of the region in northern England now known as Cumbria is derived from the same root. Only gradually did Cymru (the land) and Cymry (the people) come to supplant Brython . Although the Welsh language was certainly used at
11297-616: The early 19th century, and founded towns in Labrador 's coast region; in 1819, the ship Albion left Cardigan for New Brunswick , carrying Welsh settlers to Canada; on board were 27 Cardiganian families, many of whom were farmers. In 1852, Thomas Benbow Phillips of Tregaron established a settlement of about 100 Welsh people in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Internationally Welsh people have emigrated, in relatively small numbers (in proportion to population, Irish emigration to
11440-505: The end of February 2008, even then only playing three times in the second half of the season. In 2008–09, Owens and Rees between them started all but two of the Scarlets' matches, though Rees took the lion's share, while Owens had to be content with starting mostly in the Anglo-Welsh Cup or while Rees was on international duty with Wales, during the 2008 Autumn internationals and the 2009 Six Nations . He scored his second try for
11583-494: The end of the 2005–06 season in a match against the Glasgow Warriors . He left UWIC and began playing his club rugby for Llanelli RFC , making five appearances and scoring three tries in the first two months of the 2006–07 season. That year, Owens made 17 appearances for the Scarlets, making his first start in a 24–14 away defeat to Edinburgh on 5 January 2007. He scored his first try after coming on for Matthew Rees in
11726-457: The final four – as Wales claimed their second title in a row. Later in the season, Owens suffered a neck injury playing for the Scarlets in the Pro12 semi-final, ruling him out of Wales' summer tour of Japan . He returned for the 2013 Autumn internationals, playing in all four matches. He scored his first international try after coming off the bench against Argentina on 16 November, before starting
11869-483: The first 50 minutes before being replaced by Rees as Wales lost 27–19. He came on for the last 10 minutes of the 25–15 win over the ACT Brumbies on 12 June, before being left out entirely for the second test on 16 June, which Australia won 25–23 to claim the series. He was named on the bench for the third test, coming on for the final 15 minutes as Wales lost 20–19. In October 2012, in the absence of Bennett, Owens
12012-476: The first time ever in British census history the 2011 Census gave the opportunity for people to describe their identity as Welsh or English. A 'dress rehearsal' of the Census was carried out on the Welsh island of Anglesey because of its rural nature and its high numbers of Welsh speakers. The Census, taken on 27 March 2011, asked a number of questions relating to nationality and national identity, including What
12155-491: The first two games of the Scarlets' 2017–18 season, returning to the side for their trip to Ulster on 15 September 2017; Ulster won the match 27–20 to deny the Scarlets a 10th straight win in the Pro14. Owens' involvement with the Wales team again meant that he missed around half the Scarlets' games during the season, though he played in all eight of their 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup matches (starting seven) as they reached
12298-467: The following week against Cardiff, before making his first start in a year on 15 October, in a 36–12 home win over Zebre, the Scarlets' first win of the season. After the 2022 Autumn internationals , Ryan Elias was preferred for the Scarlets' Challenge Cup matches against Bayonne and the Cheetahs , as well as their United Rugby Championship match against the Ospreys on Boxing Day, but Owens returned to
12441-525: The four remaining matches, scoring two tries against Italy in week 4 of the tournament, helping Wales to a 48–7 away win. Although Wales missed out on the Grand Slam after losing to France in their final match on 20 March, they won their second title in three years when France lost to Scotland a week later in their match that had been postponed from 28 February. Owens was again selected for the Lions for their 2021 tour to South Africa . After taking part in
12584-418: The full 80 minutes against Argentina, and when Elias came on for Will Rowlands late in the game, rather than Owens filling-in, in the back row, as he had done for the Scarlets a few years earlier, he continued to pack down at hooker, while Elias played as an emergency flanker. He then played all but the final 10 minutes in a 13–12 loss to Georgia the following week, followed by another start against Australia in
12727-460: The game against France . Owens was named on the bench for the game, but did not come on. In May 2010, Owens was again called up to the Wales squad as one of three hookers for their summer tour to New Zealand and their warm-up match against South Africa in Cardiff. Before the South Africa match, he was called up to the Barbarians squad for their match against England on 30 May. He was named on
12870-475: The growing Welsh-medium schools of Cardiff itself) due to the centralisation and concentration of national resources and organisations in the capital. For some, speaking Welsh is an important part of their Welsh identity. Parts of the culture are strongly connected to the language — notably the Eisteddfod tradition, poetry and aspects of folk music and dance. Wales also has a strong tradition of poetry in
13013-420: The increase came in the coal mining districts; especially Glamorganshire , which grew from 71,000 in 1801 to 232,000 in 1851 and 1,122,000 in 1911. Part of this increase can be attributed to the demographic transition seen in most industrialising countries during the Industrial Revolution , as death rates dropped and birth rates remained steady. However, there was also a large-scale migration into Wales during
13156-641: The issue. As many as a third of all properties in Gwynedd are bought by people from outside Wales. The issue of locals being priced out of the local housing market is common to many rural communities throughout Britain, but in Wales the added dimension of language complicates the issue, as many new residents do not learn the Welsh language. A Plaid Cymru taskforce headed by Dafydd Wigley recommended land should be allocated for affordable local housing, called for grants for locals to buy houses, and recommended that council tax on holiday homes should double. However,
13299-466: The language at limited or conversational proficiency levels. The Welsh language is descended from Brythonic, spoken across Britain since before the Roman invasion . In 2016, an analysis of the geography of Welsh surnames commissioned by the Welsh Government found that 718,000 people (nearly 35% of the Welsh population) have a family name of Welsh origin, compared with 5.3% in the rest of
13442-429: The language grew during the second half of the 20th century, along with the rise of Welsh nationalism in the form of groups such as the political party Plaid Cymru and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society). The language is used in the bilingual Welsh Parliament (Senedd) and entered on its records, with English translation. The high cost of translation from English to Welsh has proved controversial. In
13585-477: The last match of the series. Owens was replaced by Elias in the 65th minute, but when Elias was sin-binned a few minutes later, Owens had to return to the field in place of Alex Cuthbert for the final five minutes; with captain Justin Tipuric earlier also going to the sin bin, Australia scored four tries in the second half to come back from 34–13 down and win 39–34. Ahead of the 2023 Six Nations , Owens
13728-598: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, a small wave of contract miners from Wales arrived in Northern France; the centres of Welsh-French population are in coal mining towns, and particularly the French department of Pas-de-Calais along with miners from many other countries. They tended to cluster in communities around their churches. Settlers from Wales (and later Patagonian Welsh) arrived in Newfoundland in
13871-453: The match 17–15. He received a yellow card for stamping in the first half of Wales' 39–13 loss to France , and was then left out of the side for their 22–21 loss to Italy , before returning as a replacement for a 21–21 draw with England in the final game. In September 2009, following a good run of form at the start of the 2009–10 season, former Wales scrum-half Robert Jones named Owens as a "serious contender" to make his senior Wales debut in
14014-404: The match against Tonga the following week. He was again selected for the 2014 Six Nations as one of three hookers, along with the Ospreys' Richard Hibbard and Scarlets teammate Emyr Phillips . Owens played in all five matches, coming off the bench in the first four before starting the final match against Scotland . Hibbard underwent shoulder surgery following the tournament, ruling him out of
14157-524: The mid 19th century, and it is thought that Cardiff's Yemeni community is Britain's oldest Muslim community, established when the city was one of the world's largest coal exporting ports. Hinduism and Buddhism each have about 5,000 adherents in Wales, with the rural county of Ceredigion being the centre of Welsh Buddhism. Govinda 's temple and restaurant, run by the Hare Krishnas in Swansea ,
14300-561: The name for the territory that best maintained cultural continuity with pre-Anglo-Saxon Britain: Wales. The modern names for various Romance-speaking people in Continental Europe (e.g. Wallonia , Wallachia , Valais , Vlachs , and Włochy , the Polish name for Italy) have a similar etymology. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry (plural) (singular: Cymro [m] and Cymraes [f]), and Cymru
14443-637: The name of the Gaulish people known to the Romans as Volcae and which came to refer indiscriminately to inhabitants of the Roman Empire . The Old English -speaking Anglo-Saxons came to use the term to refer to the Britons in particular. As the Britons' territories shrank, the term came ultimately to be applied to a smaller group of people, and the plural form of Wealh , Wēalas , evolved into
14586-706: The next three games against the Crusaders (won 12–3), the Highlanders (lost 23–22) and the Māori All Blacks (won 32–10), before being rested against the Chiefs ahead of the first test on 24 June. Owens was named on the bench for the first test, coming on for George for the final 13 minutes as the Lions lost 30–15. He was again rested for the final tour match against the Hurricanes , before again being named as
14729-408: The next three matches. He returned in time to start both of the Scarlets' Heineken Cup double-header against Leinster and Clermont, before missing the next seven matches on Wales duty. On 11 March 2013, following the announcement of Rees' departure for the Cardiff Blues, Owens signed a contract extension with the Scarlets that would keep him with the region until 2016. Rees' departure meant Owens began
14872-562: The past the rules of the British Parliament forbade the use of Welsh in any proceedings. Only English was allowed as the only language all members were assumed to speak. In 2017, the UK government agreed to support the use of Welsh in the Welsh Grand Committee, although not in parliamentary debate in the house outside of this committee. In 2018 Welsh was used in the grand committee for the first time. Welsh as
15015-483: The pool. Owens' subsequent selection for the 2014 Six Nations meant he did not play again for the Scarlets until the end of March. He started five of the last six games of the season, scoring tries in three straight games against Zebre , the Blues and the Dragons , with victory in the last of those three seeing the Scarlets qualify for the 2014–15 Champions Cup . Ahead of the 2014–15 season, reports emerged that Owens
15158-644: The predominant language in parts of Wales, particularly in North Wales and parts of West Wales. According to the 2001 census the number of Welsh speakers in Wales increased for the first time in 100 years, with 20.5% of a population of over 2.9 million claiming fluency in Welsh. In addition, 28% of the population of Wales claimed to understand Welsh. The census revealed that the increase was most significant in urban areas, such as Cardiff with an increase from 6.6% in 1991 to 10.9% in 2001, and Rhondda Cynon Taf with an increase from 9% in 1991 to 12.3% in 2001. However,
15301-754: The proportion of Welsh speakers declined in Gwynedd from 72.1% in 1991 to 68.7% in 2001, to 65.4% in 2011 and 64.4% in 2021. Similarly, in Ceredigion the percentage fell from 59.1% in 1991 to 51.8% in 2001, to 47.3% in 2011 and to 45.3% in 2021. Ceredigion saw a 19.5% influx of new residents between 1991 and 2001. The decline in Welsh speakers in much of rural Wales is attributable to non-Welsh-speaking residents moving to North Wales, driving up property prices above what locals may afford, according to former Gwynedd county councillor Seimon Glyn of Plaid Cymru , whose controversial comments in 2001 focused attention on
15444-539: The record held by Matthew Rees. In April 2019, Owens was named in a 42-man extended training squad ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He started both warm-up games against England in August 2019, the second of which saw Wales rise to number 1 in the World Rugby Rankings , and came off the bench in the second of two matches against Ireland. Between the two Ireland games, Wales confirmed their 31-man squad for
15587-674: The region; the town was thus named Yuzovka (Юзовка) in recognition of his role in its founding ("Yuz" being a Russian or Ukrainian approximation of Hughes). Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was born in Barry, Wales. After she suffered from bronchopneumonia as a child, her parents were advised that it would aid her recovery to live in a warmer climate. This led the family to migrate to Australia in 1966, settling in Adelaide. 2010 end-of-year rugby union internationals The series saw Ireland play their first Test matches at
15730-500: The rest of the series, so Owens was named on the bench behind Rees for the final two games against New Zealand and Australia, coming on for the final 15 minutes of each game. Despite suffering a rib injury playing for the Scarlets in December 2012, Owens recovered in time for the start of the 2013 Six Nations , and featured as a replacement in all five matches – behind Rees for the first game against Ireland, before backing up Hibbard for
15873-513: The results. The foot-and-mouth crisis delayed the 2001 United Kingdom general election ; the first time since the Second World War that any event had postponed an election. In the census, 14% of the population took the 'extra step' to write in that they were of Welsh ethnicity. The highest percentage of those identifying as of Welsh ethnicity was recorded in Gwynedd (at 27%), followed by Carmarthenshire (23%), Ceredigion (22%) and
16016-541: The round of 16 of the Champions Cup , in which he scored the first of the Scarlets' two consolation tries, before back-to-back appearances against the Ospreys and the Blues in the Pro14 Rainbow Cup , the latter off the bench. Owens' selection in the British & Irish Lions squad meant he was rested for the next game against Ulster, but this match ended up being cancelled due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in
16159-638: The same census shows that 25% of residents were born outside Wales. The number of Welsh speakers in other places in Britain is uncertain, but there are significant numbers in the main cities, and there are speakers along the Welsh-English border . Even among Welsh speakers, very few people speak only Welsh, with nearly all being bilingual in English. However, a large number of Welsh speakers are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh than in English. Some prefer to speak English in South Wales or
16302-463: The season, Owens suffered a neck injury that required surgery that initially ruled him out until after the 2014 Autumn internationals . Owens hoped to make a return from the injury for the Scarlets' game against the Ospreys on 27 December, but nerve damage meant he ended up missing a further month, making his return against London Irish in the Anglo-Welsh Cup . During his time out, he signed
16445-399: The season, Owens was named in the Pro14 team of the year. Owens retained the role of Scarlets captain for the 2019–20 season, his sixth year in the role; that set a new record for the regional side and equalled Phil Bennett 's run as captain of Llanelli RFC between 1973 and 1979. After playing at the 2019 Rugby World Cup , Owens returned to action for the Scarlets in their Pro14 meeting with
16588-414: The season, though Rees was more often selected for the Scarlets' Heineken Cup campaign. Owens scored his first Heineken Cup try after coming off the bench for Rees against Munster on 18 December 2011, securing a bonus point for the Scarlets, and his only start in the competition that season came in the Scarlets' final pool match, a 16–13 away win over Castres that saw them qualify for the quarter-finals of
16731-447: The second half, as South Africa levelled the series with a 27–9 win. Owens then started the final test, his first start out of five caps for the Lions, with Cowan-Dickie on the bench. He scored the game's opening try in the 18th minute to help the Lions to a 10–6 half-time lead; however, he was substituted in the 53rd minute, after which South Africa came back to win the match 19–16, and hence the series 2–1. Upon his return to Wales, Owens
16874-455: The second helped Wales to a 30–17 lead going into the final 10 minutes, but South Africa came back to win 31–30. Due to a neck injury suffered early in the 2014–15 season, Owens was ruled out of Wales' 2014 Autumn internationals, and was left out of Warren Gatland's initial squad for the 2015 Six Nations . Following a successful return to club action, he was recalled to the Wales squad for their penultimate Six Nations match against Ireland , but
17017-458: The semi-finals, before a 46–22 win over Munster in the final to give the Scarlets their second league title. With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Owens was linked with a move to French club Pau , before signing a new deal with the Scarlets in February 2017. Following his involvement in the British & Irish Lions ' tour to New Zealand in the summer of 2017, Owens missed
17160-545: The semi-finals, where they were beaten 38–16 by Leinster in Dublin. The Scarlets also finished second in the Pro14, and Owens played in all three of their play-off matches, culminating with another meeting with Leinster in the final, which they lost 40–32. In January 2019, the Scarlets suffered a back row injury crisis that resulted in Owens having to play at number 8 against the Dragons in the Pro14 on 5 January, and because of European registration regulations, against Leinster in
17303-461: The squad for the Triple Crown game against England on 25 February. Owens was picked to start the game, his first start for Wales, with Hibbard on the bench. Owens played the whole match as Wales won 19–12 to claim the Triple Crown and continue a Grand Slam bid. Rees' return from injury meant Owens dropped to the bench again for Wales' next game against Italy, coming on for the final 18 minutes of
17446-476: The start of December. He suffered another injury in the Scarlets' Boxing Day loss to rivals the Ospreys , coming off with a calf problem just before half-time in a 10–6 loss. He was originally due to make a comeback off the bench in the Scarlets' final Heineken Cup pool match against Harlequins on 19 January, but Kirby Myhill ended up being named in the matchday squad as the Scarlets lost 22–20 to finish third in
17589-430: The start of the 2011–12 season, but his recent recovery from injury meant he was down the pecking order and was released to play for the Scarlets in their pre-season matches against Rotherham Titans and Clermont ; however, his selection in the final squad for the World Cup meant he did not make his first start of 2011 until 29 October, in a 24–17 win over Ulster. He competed with Rees for the starting hooker job throughout
17732-573: The starting line-up for the first four games of 2023 before being named captain of Wales for the Six Nations , which meant he would not play for the Scarlets again until the end of March. Owens began his international career playing for Wales at both under-19 and under-20 level. He scored the first try for the new under-20 side in their first match in the Under-21 Six Nations against Ireland on 2 February 2007; Wales went on to lose
17875-426: The time, Gwyn A. Williams argues that even at the time of the erection of Offa's Dyke, the people to its west saw themselves as Roman, citing the number of Latin inscriptions still being made into the 8th century. However, it is unclear whether such inscriptions reveal a general or normative use of Latin as a marker of identity or its selective use by the early Christian Church . There was immigration to Wales after
18018-818: The top 25 sides in the IRB World Rankings (as of 30 September 2010) played in the end-of-year series. Touch judges: Vinny Munro ( New Zealand ) Taizo Hirabayashi ( Japan ) Touch judges: George Clancy ( Ireland ) Simon McDowell ( Ireland ) Television match official: Matt Goddard ( Australia ) Touch judges: Garratt Williamson ( New Zealand ) Taizo Hirabayashi ( Japan ) Touch judges: Stuart Dickinson ( Australia ) David Changleng ( Scotland ) Television match official: Giulio De Santis ( Italy ) Touch judges: Chris Pollock ( New Zealand ) Peter Allan ( Scotland ) Television match official: Graham Hughes ( England ) a. Stephen Moore suffered
18161-426: The tournament on 26 September 2011, coming on as a second-half replacement in an 81–7 win over Namibia . With Burns ruled out with a neck injury, Owens was named alongside Rees and Bennett as Wales' hookers for the 2012 Six Nations . In the week before the opening game, Rees suffered a calf strain, ruling him out for the first two matches, which meant Bennett would start the opening game against Ireland, with Owens on
18304-528: The urbanised areas and Welsh in the North or in rural areas. A speaker's choice of language can vary according to the subject domain (known in linguistics as code-switching ). Due to an increase in Welsh-language nursery education, recent census data reveals a reversal of decades of linguistic decline: there are now more Welsh speakers under five years of age than over 60. For many young people in Wales,
18447-430: Was added to the squad as cover for their first of two week-long trips to Spała , Poland. He was not included for the second visit to Spała, which only featured 35 players, but rejoined the group when it was expanded to 39 players for their first World Cup warm-up matches against England on 6 and 13 August. He was not selected for the first match, and was allowed to return to the Scarlets for pre-season match practice. Rees
18590-432: Was also ruled out of the Six Nations , before his season was ended completely in April 2022, eliminating him from contention for Wales' tour to South Africa in the summer. In June 2022, Owens said he still hoped to play at the 2023 Rugby World Cup , and that September, he was considered eligible to play in the 2022 Autumn internationals that November. He returned to club action later that month, and on 25 October 2022, he
18733-430: Was controversially awarded after he collided with referee George Clancy , who appeared to impede Dragons defenders from bringing Owens down. After the game, Owens said he was feeling the pressure of the possibility that he could become the first Scarlets captain to fail to qualify for the Champions Cup. Victory over the Blues and over Treviso on the final day of the season meant they finished in sixth place and qualified for
18876-535: Was expected to be fit for the start of the tour. Although he was able to travel with the rest of the squad, and led them in the singing of Welsh hymn " Calon Lân " on arrival at Auckland airport, he ultimately missed the first match of the tour against the New Zealand Barbarians , he returned to captain the side in the second match against the Blues , which the Lions lost 22–16. He was on the bench for
19019-516: Was named in Pivac's first squad for an uncapped match against a Barbarians side coached by Gatland. Owens scored a try either side of the half-time break to help give Wales a 43–33 win. In the 2020 Six Nations , Owens started each of Wales' first four matches before the competition was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a shoulder injury suffered on his return to club action ruled him out of
19162-415: Was named in the Wales squad for the 2012 Autumn internationals, along with Rees and Hibbard. He missed the opening match against Argentina on 10 November, as Rees and Hibbard were preferred, before being named as a replacement behind Hibbard for the game against Samoa on 16 November. Hibbard suffered a shoulder injury early in the game, so Owens played the remaining 60 minutes. Hibbard's injury ruled him out of
19305-405: Was named in the Wales squad for their series of matches against New Zealand, Argentina, Georgia and Australia. He was picked to start against New Zealand, his first start for Wales in more than 18 months, and played over an hour as Wales lost 55–23. He missed out on a try against Argentina the following week, knocking on over the try line under pressure from Thomas Gallo . Injuries forced him to play
19448-427: Was named in their squad for the 2021 Autumn internationals, and was picked to start the opening game against New Zealand on 30 October 2021, only to be ruled out by a back injury, though he was expected to be fit again for Wales' second game against South Africa; however, he missed that game as well, and on 8 November 2021, he was released from the Wales squad. He missed the remainder of the series, and in January 2022, he
19591-537: Was omitted from the squad for Wales' summer tour of the Americas to allow him to rest after playing on the Lions tour the previous summer, before returning to play in three of Wales' four Autumn internationals in 2018. In the 2019 Six Nations , Owens played in four of Wales' five matches as they won the Grand Slam for the first time in seven years. In the opening match against France, Owens earned his 61st cap, making him Wales' most-capped hooker of all time, surpassing
19734-561: Was one of nine players due to be offered a central contract with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), in addition to already contracted national team captain Sam Warburton ; however, Owens said he had not "spoken to anybody about it". Owens was appointed as the Scarlets' captain for the 2014–15 season, taking over from co-captains Jonathan Davies , who had left for Clermont Auvergne, and Rob McCusker ; however, just two games into
19877-607: Was reported as common for an officiant to walk in front of the coffin with a horse's skull, which may be a tradition linked with the Mari Lwyd tradition. The Welsh language is in the Insular Celtic family; historically spoken throughout Wales, with its predecessor Common Brittonic once spoken throughout most of the island of Great Britain. Prior to the 20th century, large numbers of Welsh people spoke only Welsh, with little or no fluent knowledge of English. Welsh remains
20020-480: Was ruled out of the tournament with a neck injury, leaving Owens competing against Bennett, Burns and a recovering Hibbard for a place as one of three hookers in the final 30-man squad, to be announced on 22 August. Bennett and Hibbard played in the final warm-up match against Argentina on 20 August, but Hibbard suffered an ankle injury, resulting in Owens' selection for the tournament alongside Bennett and Burns. Owens made his debut for Wales in their third pool match at
20163-415: Was selected by returning coach Warren Gatland as the Wales captain, taking over from Tipuric, who had led the side in the 2022 Autumn internationals. His first match against Ireland on 4 February 2023 made him Wales' oldest ever captain; however, Ireland won the match 34–10, with Owens replaced by Scott Baldwin after an hour. A week later, Owens scored Wales' only try in a 35–7 loss to Scotland, coming off in
20306-483: Was then rested for the final pool game against Uruguay . He was restored to the starting line-up for Wales' run to fourth place in the tournament, starting with a 20–19 win over France in the quarter-finals, followed by consecutive losses to South Africa in the semi-finals and New Zealand in the bronze final. After Warren Gatland stepped down as Wales coach following the World Cup, Owens' former Scarlets coach and Gatland's fellow New Zealander Wayne Pivac took over. Owens
20449-416: Was ultimately not selected for the match. Richard Hibbard was ruled out of Wales' final match of the tournament against Italy , allowing Owens to take his place on the bench. Owens came on in the 56th minute as Wales won the match 60–21 to finish the tournament level on points with champions Ireland and second-placed England. Owens was one of four hookers named in Wales' initial 47-man training squad ahead of
#679320