'The game was almost an afterthought' - ex-captain Owen recalls last Lions home match
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Michael Owen (left) became Wales' 1,000th capped international on tour in South Africa in 2002
British and Irish Lions v Japan |
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Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh Date: Saturday 26 June Kick-off:15:00 BST |
Coverage: Live text commentary and score updates on BBC Sport website and app |
As the British and Irish Lions prepare for Saturday's warm-up match against Japan at Murrayfield, we take a trip down memory lane to the last time they played on home soil.
That journey takes us back 16 years, to the class of 2005 and what was then called Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Argentina were in town to take on Sir Clive Woodward's fledgling Lions ahead of the ill-fated tour of New Zealand.
The Lions were expected to win, but a depleted Pumas side had other ideas.
Argentina had arrived in the Welsh capital without 26 of their first choice players due to club commitments, but their second or even third string side did anything but roll over as they out-played their star-studded opposition.
Only the golden boot of Jonny Wilkinson spared the home side's blushes as his stoppage time penalty tied the game 25-25., external
Tour captain Brian O'Driscoll was rested with the armband passed on to Wales number eight Michael Owen, fresh from leading Wales to the 2005 Six Nations Grand Slam.
Owen shares his memories with BBC Sport Wales.
A knee injury forced Michael Owen to retire from rugby at just 29
Back to his roots
For Owen, the experience saw his career come full circle as the Lions trained on his old Pontypridd stomping grounds, what is now the playing fields at the University of South Wales.
"I had trained there for Ponty schools under-11s, Ponty schools under-15s and for Pontypridd when I started breaking through as a young player, and I changed in the same spot," he said.
"It was the place where I had probably the most vivid memories of being involved in rugby all the way through, so that was a moment of real reflection.
"To come all that way, right from starting out as a young player, full of ambition, to be able to achieve the great heights of playing for the Lions... the whole week was pretty incredible and pretty surreal."
Poor preparations
The Lions were playing together for the first time before flying out to New Zealand, where everything that could go wrong on the tour pretty much did.
Owen remembers going into the warm-up match "feeling like we hadn't really prepared that well" and that it was "all a bit last minute".
"It felt like we had focused a lot on some of the team building aspects and the game - it sounds like a foolish thing to say now - was almost like an afterthought," he said.
"It was squeezed in there. I don't know what the reasons for the game were."
The anti-climax
The Lions had one of the most experienced squads and largest management teams of any tour, but the warm-up proved a major wake-up call to Woodward and co.
Wilkinson's return after 18 months away was perhaps one of the few positives as he set up the Lions' try and kicked 20 points.
"It was really disjointed," said Owen.
"Obviously you've got players from a number of different nations trying to come together and because we hadn't had that solid preparation it was quite difficult to perform at our best.
"I can remember throwing a pass and there was no one there. It was obviously my fault, but when I was playing for Wales you would have been able to throw that pass and someone instinctively would have been there because of the way we were playing."
Argentina celebrated like they had won the World Cup on the final whistle, with the 60,000 crowd left stunned.
"Argentina were really spirited and we were a little bit flat," added Owen.
"We managed to get a draw at the end which was obviously a bit anti-climatic for everyone, but it was still an incredible memory and something when I reflect back on now was absolutely extraordinary to be a part of."
The current Lions players enjoy a recovery session in the shadow of Jersey's Elizabeth Castle
The class of 2021
The Lions have been based Jersey in preparation for the tour of South Africa which begins on Saturday, 3 July.
As well as their training camp, they have been using the island's beaches and golf courses whilst keeping in their Covid bubble.
Warren Gatland has a 37-man squad, seven players fewer than Woodward's party of 2005, something Owen feels is a big advantage.
"They will have been living, breathing and getting ready for this game as quite a small intimate squad," he said, "they'll be set up to play really well.
"It'll be a tough challenge for them because Japan play quite differently to other countries, they keep the ball in hand a lot."
Sam Warburton: South Africa's lack of games tips series to Lions
Looking ahead to the Tests against world champions South Africa, Owen believes the quality of this year's Six Nations bodes well for the Lions.
"I think it was probably one of the best Six Nations in living memory, the quality of the games, some of the matches went to the last minute, the way teams performed and didn't perform. It was extraordinary and the players are better than ever.
"I think it's become more common for northern hemisphere teams to beat southern hemisphere giants.
"The Lions will be hugely excited, they've got an experienced coach in Warren Gatland who knows what the Lions is all about and how to go about the trip and make sure players embrace every minute of it."
Ultimately Owen believes it will come down to the wire.
"It's such an awesome country and it'll come down to a toss of a coin, really small margins and hopefully the Lions will have enough quality, I think they probably have, to come out on top in those big moments."