Paul Rees of The Guardian believes that Michael Owen’s season-ending injury offers further evidence that rugby has developed an unhealthy obsession with size and power.
"A newsflash last week sent sports desk denizens all a-flutter. Michael Owen, it read, was out for the season with knee-ligament damage. Back pages were not held, however, when it emerged that the player being talked about was not an out-of-favour football international at Manchester United but a forgotten rugby international at Saracens.
"The two Owens were both brought up in Wales but there the similarity ended. The footballer is one of the most celebrated players of his era while rugby's Michael Owen is a victim of his sport's current obsession with size and power; not so much because he has suffered two serious knee injuries in as many seasons, but because his virtues, an ability to play with his head up and put others in space rather than into contact, are becoming increasingly seen as obsolescent.
"Rugby, with the emphasis on explosive power and a growing casualty list, has become boom and bust. Owen was a pivotal member of Wales's grand slam winning team in 2005, putting Ryan Jones into holes and helping his side play with a pace and a momentum that proved irresistible. Wales refreshed the game and the ungainly Owen went on to captain the Lions against Argentina the following May.”
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