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Ken Owens is looking forward to a reunion with Mike Phillips but knows any niceties will be firmly on hold until after the Scarlets and Sale face off in the European Rugby Champions Cup. - 11/10/2016 11:34
Ken Owens is looking forward to a reunion with Mike Phillips but knows any niceties will be firmly on hold until after the Scarlets and Sale face off in the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The two sides meet at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday night looking to get their Pool 3 campaigns off to the best possible start having also been drawn alongside reigning champions Saracens and three-time winners Toulon.
Owens and Phillips know each other well from their time playing in the Wales national side together, while the scrum-half began his career in west Wales with Llanelli, before they became the Scarlets at the outset of regional rugby in 2003.
Phillips, a British & Irish Lions tourist in both 2009 and 2013, spent the last five seasons playing in France with Bayonne and Racing 92 but is now back on British soil with Sale Sharks.
Owens will be glad to catch up with his old colleague, but knows there is little chance of him being able to pick up any insider information from Phillips.
“He probably will not speak to me for the rest of the week with the match coming up so I will probably have to catch up with him after the game,” said the Scarlets hooker and captain.
“Facing Mike is always a great challenge. He is combative and a great player. I tried to ring him to meet for a coffee before we played Racing 92 in Paris last year and he said, “We are not friends until after the game”, so I might leave it for a bit.
“But he loves west Wales and I am sure he will love coming down here. He grew up here, started his career here and he always enjoys it, but hopefully he will not enjoy it too much on Saturday apart from catching up with old friends and great players.”
At 34 Phillips is nearer to the end of his glittering career than the start but the fierce competitive edge that was one of the hallmarks of his game remains firmly intact.
“Mike is a great player who has been playing some great stuff this year. As a player he still has plenty to offer. He is a very good professional and he keeps himself in good shape,” said Owens.
“That edge he has made him the player he is. He is skilful and talented but it is the combative edge and fighting spirit that has got him through. It will be great to play him and I am sure it will be good fun.”
Two tries from DTH van der Merwe helped the Scarlets kick off their European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 3 campaign with a comfortable 28-11 victory over Sale. - 15/10/2016 22:19
Two tries from DTH van der Merwe helped the Scarlets kick off their European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 3 campaign with a comfortable 28-11 victory over Sale.
The Welsh region lost all six pool games in this competition last term and this was their first win in nine European outings. Canadian international Van der Merwe led the way with his brace, with scrum-half Gareth Davies also dotting down and Rhys Patchell kicking 13 points.
Neil Briggs got Sale’s only try with fly-half Dan Mugford kicking two penalties but the Sharks were made to pay for a first quarter where they gave up a 13-point lead to their hosts.
Mugford had kicked them into an early lead but Patchell levelled matters in the ninth minute before the first Scarlets try arrived four minutes later.
The Sale number 10 took too long to get his kick away and Davies pounced to charge down and regather to score, with Patchell converting.
Sale’s struggles continued as a lost line-out and a ruck infringement gave Patchell two more sights of goal, both of which he put straight between the uprights to make it 16-3.
It looked a long way back for the visitors but they got back into the contest with a well-worked drive. The Scarlets did well to repel one driving maul, but Briggs dotted down when the next effort found the weak spot in the home defence.
However, they were put on the back foot again by Van der Merwe’s first score. Davies made the break from the base of the scrum, and when the ball was recycled Patchell’s cross-kick allowed the Canada winger to pirouette through a tackle to go over in the corner.
Mugford kicked his second penalty shortly before the break but, when Sale lost prop Ross Harrison to the bin for a high tackle on Ken Owens, the hosts killed the game off.
Van der Merwe was again the finisher, doing well to pick up Patchell’s long pass on the tips of his fingertips to dive over in the corner.
Patchell converted and the hosts’ attentions turned to capturing a bonus point but it was not to be during a scrappy final quarter.
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