 Owen takes a line-out | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 7 November 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Pontypridd, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 109 kg (17.2 st) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Bryn Celynnog | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Michael Owen (born 7 November 1980 in Pontypridd), is a former Welsh international rugby union player, who most often played Number 8, but was also versatile enough to play flanker or even lock. His ball handling was arguably his greatest asset.
Having been educated at Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School in Beddau, [1] Owen played for Pontypridd RFC from 1999 until in 2003 the side merged with Bridgend RFC to form the ill-fated Celtic Warriors and then played for the Newport Gwent Dragons in the Celtic League from 2003 until 2008.
Owen joined Guinness Premiership side Saracens for the 2008/2009 season after signing a two-year deal with the club. [2] [3]
Owen became the 1,000th player capped by Wales when he made his debut in the first Test against South Africa in June 2002.
He took over from the injured Gareth Thomas as Wales captain during the 2005 Six Nations, and became the 122nd Captain of his country when he led Wales out against Scotland and led Wales to its first Grand Slam in 27 years.
Owen was selected for the British & Irish Lions for their 2005 New Zealand tour. On 23 May in Cardiff, he had the honour of captaining the side for their match at Millennium Stadium against Argentina, the first Lions Test match to take place outside of the touring country. He temporarily returned home for the birth of his second child.
| Try | Opponent | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Scotland | Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2003 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches | 30 August 2003 | Win |
| 2 |  Fiji | Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2005 Autumn Internationals | 11 November 2005 | Win |
In July 2010, Owen announced his retirement from the game at 29 due to a persistent knee problem and embarked on a two-year master's degree course in Business at the University of Hertfordshire. [4]
In March 2010 he began coaching at Hertford RFC, helping them to gain National 2 league status for the 2011/12 season.
Owen was a co-commentator for ITV's coverage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
From September 2013 Owen took up the position of Director of Rugby at Haileybury College. [5]
The Celtic Warriors were a rugby union team from Wales, who played in the 2003–04 Celtic League and the 2003–04 Heineken Cup following the introduction of regional rugby union teams in Wales. They were effectively a temporary merger of Pontypridd RFC and Bridgend RFC. The Celtic Warriors played just one season before disbanding.
Dragons RFC are one of the four professional rugby union regional teams in Wales. They are owned by the Welsh Rugby Union and play their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup/European Rugby Challenge Cup. The region they represent covers an area of southeast Wales including Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen with a total population approaching 600,000 and they are affiliated with a number of semi-professional and amateur clubs throughout the area, including Pontypool RFC, Caerphilly RFC, Cross Keys RFC, Ebbw Vale RFC and Newport RFC.
Gavin Lloyd Henson is a Welsh former professional rugby union player, who played as a fly-half, fullback and inside centre.
Gethin Jenkins is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a prop for Pontypridd, Celtic Warriors, Cardiff Blues and Toulon. At international level, he won 129 caps for Wales. On his 105th appearance in 2014, he became Wales' most-capped player, overtaking the record held by Stephen Jones; having earned his final cap in November 2016, his record was surpassed by Alun Wyn Jones in September 2019. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams. He also won five caps for the British & Irish Lions on three tours in 2005, 2009 and 2013. He is the sixth most-capped player in rugby union history and the most-capped front-row forward.
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Kevin Andrew Morgan is a Welsh former rugby union player. He won 48 caps for Wales, mainly at full back but also on the wing.
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Jonathan 'Jon' Bryant is a former Wales Rugby union international. His previous clubs include Pontypridd RFC, Celtic Warriors, Newport Gwent Dragons and Sale Sharks. Formerly the player/manager of Merthyr RFC and head coach of Barry RFC.
Lewis Evans is a former Welsh rugby union player. A back row forward, he previously played his club rugby for the Dragons for the duration of his fifteen-year career. After being invited into the Newport Gwent Dragons academy in 2005, he then went on to play his rugby for [Ebbw Vale RFC] and Newport RFC. He has represented Wales at every age group level winning the Grand Slam with the U19's in 2006 and featured in the Wales national rugby sevens team in 2007.
Richard Fussell is a former professional Welsh rugby union winger. During his career, he represented Pontypridd RFC, Newport Gwent Dragons, and the Ospreys.
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Welsh regional rugby is the top tier of professional Welsh club rugby and is composed of the Scarlets, Ospreys, Cardiff Rugby and the Dragons which compete in the United Rugby Championship.
Alex Jeffries is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a prop. He retired from rugby due to a neck injury in April 2023.
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