Having ploughed his own rugby path over the years, Owen Jenkins is now very much following in the footsteps of his old man. Jenkins’ father, Garin, won 58 caps for Wales at hooker from 1991 to 2002.
Owen’s career has up to now taken him down a different positional path, as a winger for Pontypridd, Cardiff Blues and the Dragons. But, at the minute, you will find him in the middle of the front row, as a hooker for Wales Sevens.
“You see these boys on the wing who are running the 100 metres in ten seconds and you think ‘Right, I’d better move into the forwards!’. So I have been practising my throwing in, which luckily runs in the blood,” he says.
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“I have spoken to dad about it, but he says he just used to close his eyes and hope for the best! So I don’t know how far that will get me. I think he is loving it that I’m playing there.
“It’s nice to play in a position where you are involved a lot more and get your hands on the ball a bit more and take on those playmaking roles. It’s a bit different to being stood out on the wings in 15s where some games you might not even touch the ball. It’s nice to have those different challenges and to learn different skills which you wouldn’t get a chance to do in the 15-a-side game.”
Jenkins, who shows his versatility by also slotting in at prop and scrum-half in the truncated form of the game, returned to Wales Sevens duty last week in a tournament out in Toulouse where he featured in all six matches against France, Fiji, Kenya, New Zealand, Canada and Japan.
Now this weekend, it’s off to Twickenham for the London Sevens. Remarkably, this will be his 44th World Series tournament, with his first having come way back in 2013.
“My parents are coming up, along with my partner and family and friends, so it will be good to have a crowd there supporting me. It should be a really good occasion,” he says.
More than anything, Jenkins is just delighted to be back playing rugby again after a season of inactivity which culminated in him being released by the Dragons. He joined the Gwent region back in 2019 and initially things went well.
“When I first went in, I started pretty much every game and we had some good results. We had our first away win in however many years out in Zebre, where I scored two tries. We beat Castres and Worcester in Europe, we won the derby against the Scarlets. But then I injured my ankle and needed an operation on that.”
After 12 outings in his first season, he went on to make seven more appearances in his second after recovering from surgery. But, in the season just gone, it all came to a halt.
“I had 40 minutes in pre-season up in Leicester and that was it. I just didn’t get another opportunity. We had an A game against the Scarlets in November and I wasn’t even picked for that. At that point, I think minds had been made up about me and I needed to start looking after myself,” he said.
“So I asked if there would be any opportunity to go and play for Newport RFC. I am a rugby player and I want to play. I don’t just want to be training all the time with nothing at the end of it. So I had a couple of games with Newport which I was really grateful for. They played great stuff all season and I really enjoyed those two games.”
Then, in January, Jenkins was given the green light by the Dragons to return to the Sevens circuit with Wales for the Spanish leg of the World Series out in Seville.
“They said I could go and pursue that with an option to get something for next season, to put myself in the shop window. That was it really. I sort of assumed then that I was going to be released.
“The writing was on the wall from October time for me, to be honest. I have been around long enough to know. It’s tough to enjoy it when you are not involved and not getting a look in. So it’s been a tough year, but I’m back doing something I really enjoy now.”
So, having departed the Dragons - one of 20 players to do so in a major squad re-jig - does he have a definite future plan mapped out?
“There is nothing firm yet. I am doing the Sevens over the summer. We’ve got the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July which is something I want to do. I did the last one out in Gold Coast, which was really good. There’s potentially a World Cup in September out in Cape Town, which we have got a qualifier for in July. So I’m looking forward to a busy summer of Sevens.
“After that, I’m not really sure. I’m looking at a few different options, potentially going abroad. I am pretty open to whatever at the moment. Maybe the Sevens programme will be in a position to offer things, but I wouldn’t like to count my chickens. You do need security and you’ve got to pay the bills and 15-a-side is probably where you get more security.
“I have got a few different options at the moment and I'm seeing what works best for me and my partner. Getting in the shop window on the Sevens World Series is something I’m really grateful for. It’s really valuable to put myself out there.”
The 28-year-old Jenkins has also been looking to his future outside of rugby.
“When you are seeing the writing on the wall, you start looking at different options. I got my degree in Sport and PE from Cardiff Met in 2018. I’ve done a few different courses, an introduction to teaching, a medical sales course. So I am trying to keep my options open and look at something I can see myself doing in the future, while still being keen to carry on playing rugby for a living for a good few years yet.”
So, if he’s open to all options, what about the idea of trying his hand as a 15-a-side hooker?
“I would have to pack on a few pounds if I want to do that!” he quips, as he signs off and heads for front row duty at Twickenham.
