Owen spent the early part of his career trying to live up to being compared with the great Mervyn Davies, but has recently started to come into his own as an international performer.

'Merv the Swerve' won 38 caps for his country, went on two Lions tours and is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest number eights of all time so Owen certainly has a lot to live up to - but he does have all the attributes needed to go right to the top.

An athletic forward, he has the ability to play in either the second or back row of the scrum and he added international captaincy as another string to his bow during the Six Nations when he took over from the injured Gareth Thomas to inspire Wales against France, Scotland and Ireland.

Deceptively quick for such a powerful man, man mountain Owen is a fierce competitor, good with ball in hand and is a good thinker on his feet.

He is also able to play in three forward positions, a versatility that makes him a valuable member of the squad; indeed he may find himself captaining the midweek side in New Zealand.