Owen Franks

Owen Franks ( born December 23 1987 in Motueka, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union player at the position of the pillar. His older brother Ben Franks is also a New Zealand rugby union player.

Franks went to his brother in Christchurch on the Boys' High School to school and is a member of the rugby club Linwood RFC. In his youth he played for the New Zealand national team and school selection for the U-21 national team.

In 2007, he played for the first time for the selection of the Canterbury RFU in the New Zealand Rugby Championship. In his first season he won the Ranfurly Shield with Canterbury, where he stood but not actively participate due to injury. Then he could 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 are each master with Canterbury and win the Ranfurly Shield again in 2009 and 2010, although he completed since 2009 due to national team duty rarely games for Canterbury.

Since 2009, he also runs on for the Crusaders in the international Super Rugby. With them, he failed in the semifinals in 2010 and 2011 in the final of the championship. His brother Ben plays since 2006 for the Crusaders.

2009 Owen Franks played in a lot of the Pacific Nations Cup for the Junior All Blacks, before he was in the same year for the first time for the New Zealand national team ( All Blacks ) nominated. With it, he played in the 2009 Tri Nations and Bledisloe Cup successfully defended against the Australian national team ( Wallabies ). In 2010 he ran in June match against the Irish national team for the first time with his brother for the All Blacks. With him and New Zealand, he could further the Tri Nations win in 2010 and successfully defended the Bledisloe Cup again against the Wallabies. He also claimed the national team on their November tour the fourth Grand Slam in its history. In 2011 he defended the All Blacks back the Bledisloe Cup and won with his brother the title at the Rugby Union World Cup 2011.