All Blacks: Frank-speaking Owen is ready

Rookie All Black prop Owen Franks has older brother Ben to thank for much of his success. Photo / Getty Images

DURBAN - Being sledged by Bakkies Botha would be a distressing thought for some newbies to test rugby, but All Blacks bolter Owen Franks found time for a chuckle this week.

Days out from the biggest moment of his fledgling career, Franks recounts the message from giant Springboks hard man Botha, who he had just driven back 5m in a tackle during last weekend's loss at Bloemfontein.

"He called me a bit of a fatty one time.

"I might have to work on that, go on the treadmill or something. Maybe I'm not looking too good out on the field."

That's certainly not the view of the All Blacks coaches who have seen enough of the 21-year-old Canterbury tighthead in three tests off the reserves bench to hand him a first start.

And that it comes against the world champions in a hugely tense fixture says plenty about how highly he is regarded.

It is not often a baby-faced prop steals the headlines ahead of a Springboks test, but Franks' whirlwind rise from being the fourth ranked prop at the Crusaders just three months ago has set tongues wagging.

Last month against Italy he became the third youngest in his position to play a test for New Zealand, having quickly impressed coach Graham Henry with a confidence that is the domain of youth.

"He's like some athletes who thrive on the greater stage. The bigger the challenge, the more excited they are and I think that's a hell of an attitude," Henry said.

"That doesn't necessarily equal success but I think it goes a long way to doing that."

Oh yes, and there is that streak of toughness which was evident when he rushed to sort out a stoush soon after entering the test against Australia in Auckland.

"He wouldn't be here if he couldn't (handle himself). He's got an edge to him, which is important at this level of rugby," Henry says.

Franks now regrets rushing to the aid of teammate Ma'a Nonu and getting penalised for a shove. Henry has since praised him for helping a mate but asked him to be more clever about it next time.

"It was quite funny because I had lunch with my dad (Ken) on the morning of the test and he told me I'm going to be excited so don't go out there and do something stupid in the first 30 seconds.

"What do you know, I give away a penalty in the first 30. It was just one of those things."

It is appropriate that waves should be crashing opposite the All Blacks' hotel on Durban's North Beach as Franks describes his upbringing.

Born in Motueka nearly four years after brother Ben was born in Melbourne, the siblings were encouraged to extend themselves in rugby by Ken, when he wasn't spending chunks of time away fishing on a deep sea trawler.

"He's been huge in our careers," Owen Franks said

"Since we were young he's been taking us out training and coming up with new ways that we could get ahead of the rest of the pack.

"He's been going with us our whole lives to get us to this stage."

Ben spent some time on the boat with dad but Owen was the proverbial bull in a china shop in his brief stints at sea.

"I don't think he trusts me too much in a fishing boat. Every time I went out, I seemed to stuff things up."

Fishing saw the family shift south to Lyttelton and both boys attended Christchurch Boys' High School, and played for national secondary schools teams before graduating into the province's red and black.

Ben played for the midweek All Blacks against Munster last November, but a broken foot curtailed his Super 14 season, ironically giving Owen's rapid rise a kick start.

"It was a bit weird there for a while, with Ben out with injury," Owen said.

"I'd really taken his spot, wearing the No 3 jersey. It was a bit weird at the start but it's all good now.

"Me and my brother, we've probably been solid training partners for pretty much our whole lives."

There is the very real prospect the pair will compete against each other for national honours in coming years but Owen is relaxed about that.

"We already have been pretty much (for Canterbury and the Crusaders)," he said.

"I don't know, I'd like to think that maybe one day both of us can be in there.

"Ben is pretty good at specialising on both sides of the scrum. If I stick to tighthead, who knows what can happen?"

Added to the intrigue is the fact that Owen owes Ben one whopping sized favour.

Soon after arriving in Lyttelton, Ben was first to act when the family house erupted into flames one night, alerting parents Ken and Julie and his 11-year-old younger brother.

"He woke me up but I fell back to sleep so he had to make two trips and come get me again," Owen recalled.

"He saved the day pretty much. It (the house) was pretty much stuffed."

A subsequent story about the fire in The Press newspaper featured a photograph of the two future All Blacks.

Ben was carrying his rugby boots, having ensured they did not go up in smoke.

"He had school the next day," Owen said.

"Unluckily we still had our uniforms and rugby gear and stuff, so back into it."

YOUNGEST ALL BLACKS TEST PROPS

Mark Irwin - 20 years 191 days (v Australia, Wellington 1955)
Kent Lambert - 20 years 212 days (v Scotland, Edinburgh 1972)
OWEN FRANKS - 21 years 186 days (v Italy, Christchurch 2009)
Carl Hayman - 21 years 214 days (v Samoa, Albany 2001)
Kevin Skinner - 21 years 234 days (v South Africa, Cape Town 1949)
Tony Woodcock - 21 years 300 days (v Wales, Cardiff 2002)
Wilson Whineray - 21 years 319 days (v Australia, Sydney 1957)

- NZPA