England v Wales: Hooker Ken Owens keen to play after tough summer training

Ken Owens helped Wales to Six Nations Grand Slams in 2012 and 2019

Wales hooker Ken Owens says he is looking forward to getting back on the field after two months' hard training.

Warren Gatland's team face England at Twickenham on Sunday, 11 August in the first of four warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup in Japan.

The extended squad have been together for two months and undergone intensive altitude training in Switzerland.

"We've had a couple of months of hard work and now we're turning our focus to playing," said Owens.

Speaking in Welsh at the Royal National Eisteddfod, Owens added he was "looking forward now to going into a Test match week and focussing on the rugby instead of a lot of running up and down a pitch."

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Wales face England again in Cardiff on 17 August, followed by Ireland in Cardiff on 31 August and in Dublin on 7 September.

Between the England and Ireland matches Wales have a hot-weather training camp in Turkey, with the provisional squad of 42 being cut down to 31 on 1 September.

British and Irish Lion Owens, 32, has made 62 appearances for Wales but has never started a World Cup match.

Reflecting on Wales' preparations so far, Owens said the players had not been surprised by the intensity of the schedule

"We knew what it was going to be like but we've come through it and we're just looking forward now at the chance to play and hopefully going to Japan," he said.

Wales will be defending a 14-match unbeaten run when they face England, but have not won in Twickenham since the 28-25 victory in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Owens was at the Eisteddfod - the annual Welsh cultural festival - where he and Wales team-mate Jonathan Davies were honoured for their contributions to Welsh sport.

Wales begin their World Cup campaign on 23