Michael Owen. Michael Owen
was always going to play rugby for Pontypridd and Wales. And be prime minister. And be the next Daley Thompson or Ian Rush. And be a dad. And go to Australia. And be a sports commentator. Well, they were my dreams anyway. Looking back now, at the ripe old age of thirty, it seems ridiculous that not only did I achieve some of these things, but that they would soon seem like distant memories. Many of the people I grew up playing with, guys who I had won the Grand Slam and with whom I had played at the World Cup, are still playing. I watch them from the stands or on the television, but I’m not angry or frustrated. I achieved most of the things that I dreamt of when I was a kid. How many people can say that?
When I was a child, after Wales would play – even when they were playing poorly, which was quite often – I would go out onto the street in Church Village, where I grew up, to play rugby. Sometimes I would be the only one out there. I would imagine scoring the last-minute winning try for Wales. There were never any parents around. We would just play big games of touch rugby. Most of the kids were older than me, which meant that I had to excel to get near them. We would go on bike rides, climb trees, play football or pick up the tennis racquets when Wimbledon was on. That was the best training ever and I absolutely loved it. I had a very enjoyable childhood during which I played as much sport as I could.
Back inside our home, my brother David and I would play rugby, boxing (using cushions as gloves), cricket and football. When we played rugby, it was always Pontypridd against Cardiff and one of us, usually David, would be Ponty’s Jim Scarlett and stamp all over the other. I had to try incredibly hard just to get close to David at anything. Sometimes we would go down to the local playing field, where we would regularly see Neil Jenkins practising his kicking. He would be out there for hours on end … and then I’d watch him on the telly playing for Wales. He had a sponsored car with his name on. He was a huge hero of mine. Seeing Neil and other local players like Andrew Lamerton, Paul John, Greg Prosser and Chris Bridges all play for Wales definitely made me feel that it was something I could achieve.
I developed quicker physically than some of the other kids and played football, rugby and cricket as a child. I was always quite quick while I was at school and that obviously helped with sport but there was also a strong sporting element in my family. One of my cousins is Scott Young, who played football for Cardiff City and for Wales at Under-21 level. His career highlight came when he scored the winning goal for Cardiff in an FA Cup tie against Leeds. Another cousin, Gareth Hopkins, played cricket for Wales as a schoolboy. When I was older, Scott, Gareth and I all received caps for Wales in the same year.
I played cricket as a nine-year-old for my junior school’s Under-11 cricket team and also loved football. My brother David, who I thought could do no wrong, was a big Liverpool fan, so I got into supporting Liverpool too, something that I do to this day. As a young boy, I was captain of my junior school’s football, cricket and rugby teams and we would often play football simply because it was easier to play, but rugby was always going to be my preferred choice because it played such a big part in our family.
My Dad played for Pontypridd and Pontypool and he always used to tell David and I that he was good enough to play for Wales. He didn’t, although he did play for a Welsh President’s XV against Newport – Dad never made a big deal of it but was really proud of his achievement. My grandfather on my Mum’s side played for Cardiff, Neath and Treorchy. His son, David Hopkins, also played for Swansea University and Pontypridd. Dad, who is from Porth, met my mum, who is from Hopkinstown, through playing rugby with my uncle. Dad thinks that I got my rugby ability from him, but my mother thinks differently. As with most things in life she is probably right!
My mother was a primary school teacher and my father an aircraft engineer for British Airways. Dad had been going on great holidays for a few years when my parents got married in 1975. And when David came along and then me, that didn’t change. We used to go on incredible holidays and I have some fantastic memories from them.
The first holiday I ever went on, when I was only eight months old, was to Miami. Every year we went on a big summer holiday to places like South Africa, the United States, Canada, Mauritius, Dubai and Kenya. We even went on Concorde. Because we were going standby, we had to dress smartly and wear suits as we could be seated anywhere on the plane. On one occasion, I was sitting next to a diplomat and it felt pretty surreal.
We had some wonderful times, but as a child you don’t tend to appreciate those things, of course. When you are young you take things for granted – like having your washing done for you all the time. It’s only when you grow up and have a family of your own that you realise just how lucky you have been. Those holidays were a special part of my upbringing. Once I went jet skiing without my contact lenses. The man pointed to the boundaries. I said that I could see them, but ended up needing the rescue boat to come out to pick me up!
We moved to Church Village in 1987 and I moved schools from Llwyncrwn Infants School to Gwauncelyn Junior School, which was a ten-minute walk from where we lived. We had a sports teacher, Gareth Williams, who I really liked and I’m sure the sporting values he impressed on us then have stayed with me throughout my career. He really believed in fair play and that has never left me.
By the time we moved to Church Village, I had begun playing for Beddau in the mini section. We had lived there previously and my brother had played there too. Joining Beddau was natural. I also played football for Llantwit Fardre and, when I was ten, because I enjoyed it so much, briefly stopped playing rugby for Beddau. When I started playing rugby at Under-8 level the game was full contact, but we would play ten a side and only across the 22. Even then, I pretty much always played at number eight.
David also played for Beddau – plus Glamorgan Wanderers, Llantrisant and Taffs Well – and was a very good player before he suffered a bad ankle break. He had to have it fused and has since had all sorts of trouble with it. It brought a halt to any rugby dreams that he had. David was a massive influence on me; then and now. When I was young, he would come and watch me play. I was always one of the best players and if I wasn’t playing well, David would let me know what I should do differently. He’d always challenge me to play better, making me ask myself questions about what I could do and never to blame outside influences. That attitude stayed with me as I went forward in my career and shaped what I would do on the field. He was my first coach and one of my best.
In 1990, I went to the Arms Park to watch the Schweppes Cup final because Chris Bridges was playing for Neath, who beat Bridgend 16–10. It was an awesome atmosphere … and one I would soon get another taste of. When I was eleven, I played for the Pontypridd District XV and we reached the final of the Under-11 Welsh Cup – the DC Thomas Cup – against Newport. The game was a curtain raiser for the Schweppes Cup at the Arms Park (the National Stadium) and we drew 4–4 – there was no time for extra-time because of the Schweppes Cup – it was awesome. My Dad was so proud at the time and as a parent now, I can understand just how much it would mean to see your child doing something like that.
Even when I was young, I can recall people saying that I would play for Wales but it always seemed more of a dream than a destiny. Every Boxing Day, the Pontypridd and Cardiff Under-11 teams would play each other as a curtain raiser at the Arms Park for the Les Spence trophy. Over the years, players like Scott Gibbs, Neil Jenkins, Adrian Davies, Garin Jenkins and Paul John had played for Pontypridd in that fixture. When I played, I scored a try in a 16–0 win and Neil Jenkins presented the trophy to the Pontypridd team afterwards. I always loved playing at the Arms Park and that game was the start. When I was a kid I couldn’t wait for rugby to start. I used to really look forward to games in any sport. I would watch Match of the Day on a Saturday night and would want to go and play sport there and then. And then, on a Sunday, I’d wake up early and go out on my bike for a couple of hours. It used to take an age for 10am to come and for the rugby to start.
I loved being captain of the teams I played in. It seemed natural and I was, according to my Mum, a very ‘chatty’ boy. I’m sure anyone who has played with me might recognise that description of me on the field. When I ran onto the field, vocalising and imparting my views came naturally to me. At junior school, I was always one of the bigger, more gregarious kids and I was good academically as well as being talented at sports. At secondary school I settled in pretty quickly and really enjoyed