Frankly, I've got to improve

NICK CAIN TALKS TO NORTHAMPTON’S STAR ALL BLACKS PROP OWEN FRANKS

- NICK CAIN

OWEN Franks, now of Northampton, formerly of New Zealand and the Crusaders, is in an ultra-exclusive club of one. He is the only front-row forward, and the only tighthead – the most gruelling, heavy-duty position on the pitch – to become a double World Cup winner, and a Test centurion.

Franks won two medals as the starting No.3 in the New Zealand sides that won the 2011 and 2015 finals, and then to cap a stellar international career crossed the 100-Test threshold against Australia in 2018, going on to make 108 appearances for the All Blacks in a decade-long international career.

Legendary Australian forwards John Eales and Phil Kearns are also part of the 21-strong group of players who have won the World Cup twice, as is Os du Randt, the celebrated Springbok loosehead, but none of them reached 100 caps, which gives you the measure of Franks’ extraordinary durability and quality.

It puts Franks in the most rarefied atmosphere there is in Rugby Union, at the apex of achievement alongside two other same-era All Black double world champions and centurions, his fellow Crusaders Richie McCaw and Sam Whitelock.

However, as Franks, 32, looks forward to getting back to work today at Franklin’s Gardens when Northampton meet Wasps, he will be hoping for some stability after a pretty turbulent 12 months in the day job.

It has been almost a year since he was the highest profile player to be axed from New Zealand’s 2019 World Cup plans when Steve Hansen left him out of the squad for Japan.

Then, having decided to follow his brother Ben, who is four years older and a fellow double world champion, by signing for Northampton at the start of the Premiership season, he first had to negotiate a thumb injury – and then the Covid lockdown.