This year marks the 20th anniversary of Wales winning the 2005 Six Nations Grand Slam. It was their first cleansweep in the Championship since the 1978 Five Nations, with the Slam being sealed by a victory over Ireland on a never to be forgotten day in Cardiff.
Michael Owen was the Wales skipper for that match and here are his memories of a campaign that thrilled the nation.
So, just what was it like to captain Wales to their first Grand Slam in 27 years?
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Some two decades on, Michael Owen is still in the process of fully appreciating just what a huge thing happened to him at the ripe old age of 24.
To put it in some kind of context, the three previous men to lead Wales to a Championship cleansweep had been Phil Bennett, Mervyn Davies and John Dawes.
That provides a suitable starting point for Owen’s reflections on the magnitude of what was achieved in 2005.
“A couple of months after that Six Nations, I was at a dinner at Beddau RFC, along with Gethin Jenkins,” he recalls.
“Phil Bennett was a special guest there and I remember him saying to me how he thought he would never see another Slam in his lifetime.
“Now this was a legend I was talking to. The Crowning Years and 101 Greatest Tries videos are what I grew up on, like a lot of other kids in Wales.
“So to see him so happy about something I had been a part of really made me think. You could see just how much it meant to people.”
Owen had experienced the barren years in between Slams both as a young supporter and a young player.
“I was a massive rugby fan,” he says.
“You would go out on the street after the Five Nations and try to imagine you were playing for Wales and were winning tournaments.
“But it obviously wasn’t a great time for the Welsh team. They were pretty dire for the majority of time I was watching as a kid.
“People forget just how bad Wales had got. There were times in the 80s and 90s, with players going to rugby league, where it seemed pretty hopeless watching Welsh rugby.”
Owen was then to share in some grim times himself as a player.
Having caught the eye as a ball-handling No 8 with his home town club of Pontypridd, he made his international debut against South Africa in June 2002, becoming the 1000th player to be capped by Wales.
Tough times followed, as the national team went on a 10-Test losing run under Steve Hansen, an unwanted record only recently surpassed by Warren Gatland’s side.
Hansen was just one more defeat away from being sacked and it was actually Owen who claimed the crucial try in the victory over Scotland in August 2003 which saved the Kiwi’s job.
From that point on, the tide started to turn, with Wales playing some exhilarating rugby in the World Cup and Six Nations which followed under the guidance of Hansen and Aussie Scott Johnson.
“We were given a freedom by the coaches to play instinctively,” explains Owen.
“At the end of the 2004 Six Nations, in Steve Hansen’s last game, we were at home to Italy and we absolutely battered them.
“We were so in tune and so sharp. It was just unbelievable some of the stuff we played.”
With Hansen heading home to New Zealand, Mike Ruddock - who Owen had been playing under at the Dragons - came in as head coach.
“Credit to Mike, he didn’t try to change too much when he took over.
“He could see what was good there and he just sort of helped us to be able to compete.
“He focused on the set-piece and the defence and that gave us the full package, a pretty all round sort of game. It was awesome to play in.”
It soon became apparent something special was brewing when Wales came tantalisingly close to ending their 51-year losing run against New Zealand, going down by the narrowest of margins at the Millennium Stadium in November 2004 - 26-25.
“That was just an incredible game. I thought we deserved to win it,” says Owen.
“We took the All Blacks on and stood toe to toe with them. “The atmosphere was absolutely electric. It was a day when we really believed we could beat New Zealand and we came so close.
“We also got within two points of South Africa that autumn and beat Australia. We were touching the pinnacle of world rugby.”
So the building blocks for success had been laid. Next came the Six Nations and the glory.
The campaign began with an 11-9 victory at home to England, with winger Shane Williams scoring the only try of the match.
“Shane was definitely the best player I ever played with,” declares Owen.
“He was just incredible. You could give him a hospital pass with two or three players on him and he would always find a way out. He would just produce so many special moments.”
Along with Williams’ early try - for which Owen gave the scoring pass - the England game is best remembered for Gavin Henson’s gravity-defying tackles on Mathew Tait and his match-winning penalty.
“Gavin was a brilliant player. He was in unbelievable nick, he could kick a ball a mile and he had great vision,” says Owen.
“He had a monumental game that day against England. People still talk about some of the stuff he did in that match - the tackles, that kick. He was just a class player.
“During that 2005 campaign, he was at a peak in terms of his focus and his mentality.”
A sparkling six-try 38-8 victory over Italy in Rome followed, with full-back Gareth ‘Alfie’ Thomas the skipper for the opening games.
“Alfie was a brilliant captain,” says Owen.
“No-one would have picked him as a captain when he was younger because he was just one of the boys, but when Steve Hansen took over he saw something in him.
“He was obviously a fantastic player. He would take on anyone and was an inspirational figure at the back.
“When he became skipper, you saw the best of him in terms of his character. He was really charismatic. He was a really good captain and one of the best players we had at that time as well.”
But then, in the first half of the next match, against France in Paris, Thomas suffered a broken thumb. That meant vice-captain Owen taking over, with Wales trailing 15-6 at the break.
“You’d think when you become captain of Wales that it would be a massive thing.
“But there was no big announcement in the dressing room. It just happened.
“You are vice-captain, so just naturally you become captain. It’s not like you think ‘Oh my God, I’m captain of Wales’.
“It just felt very natural at the time. Every team I had played with, I had taken some kind of leadership role. So it was just the next thing: ‘Oh, captain’. I didn’t speak any more or less.
“You don’t realise the magnitude of it at the time. All the focus was on the game. Although we were behind, I still felt we could win and I just spoke about keeping the ball.”
That’s precisely what Wales did as they turned things around in dramatic fashion to win 24-18 courtesy of two tries from flanker Martyn Williams, who was to be named Player of the Championship.
Then came a trip to Murrayfield where they played some extraordinary rugby, running riot as they built a 38-3 half-time lead on the way to beating Scotland 46-22, with wing Rhys Williams and full-back Kevin Morgan both crossing twice.
Looking back on the team’s expansive style, Owen says: “We were playing loads of games in training, with loads of passes, and I think that’s where it came from.
“That approach was quite new and quite different to what other people were doing at the time, certainly in the northern hemisphere.
“We had a lot of players with a lot of skill, particularly among the forwards, which was unusual. You had people who could chuck passes and you just knew there would be someone there.
“The nucleus of the team had played together a lot, so we just had that unspoken trust.
“Because we were playing to our instincts in training all the time, we just became really sharp and really alert.
“That showed through in that first half against Scotland when we played some unbelievable rugby and blew them away.”
It was some weekend up in Edinburgh, soundtracked by The Stereophonics’ Dakota, which had just gone to No 1, and Tony Christie’s Amarillo - or ‘Show me the way to Slamarillo’ as it was re-imagined by the hordes of travelling Welsh fans!
With four games won, all eyes now turned to the final match of the Championship against Ireland in Cardiff on March 19. That elusive first Slam in 27 years was within sight and the whole country was at a fever pitch, amid huge media build-up.
Yet you wouldn’t have known it from the mood within the Wales camp.
“I don’t know why, but, at the time, it didn’t feel pressured,” says Owen.
“Thinking back, it was just really enjoyable and fun. It was a pretty relaxed build up.
“One of my favourite memories is the last training session before the Ireland game. We had the biggest match of our lives coming up. It was massive, but we had one of the most fun, relaxed sessions ever. We just played a bit of touch, throwing the ball around and having a laugh.
“I think sometimes, as a coaching and playing group, you just hit a sweet spot. We had worked hard and prepared thoroughly, but we had that fun element as well. That summed up how we were all together, just having a good time, during that campaign. We felt we couldn’t lose.”
On the eve of the game, it was the turn of Gareth Thomas to make a special presentation.
“Alfie spoke to us the night before and gave everyone a hip flask with the Welsh three feathers on. I’ve still got mine in the house,” reveals Owen.
“Alfie had such a presence. I was never going to be a captain like him. He’s definitely quite different to me, a different person. You have just got to be yourself and that’s what I tried to do.”
Come the big day, the enormity of the occasion soon became apparent.
“Driving in on the bus is always an amazing moment when you play for Wales. Every time it’s pretty special.
“But, on that day, there were so many people out on the streets. You could just tell it was massive.
“That drive into Cardiff was just ‘Wow’.
“It was exciting. It was just awesome. You could sense that this was a special day.
“I think all the Welsh jerseys sold out around the Ireland game. I don’t think you could buy one.”
As kick-off approached, it was time for Owen’s final words to his team inside the home dressing room.
“I just remember saying how it was an amazing opportunity and to make sure we didn’t let ourselves down.
“So, if we were to lose, it would be because Ireland were the better team on the day, not because we choked or got worried.
“We had come a long way as a group, put in a lot of work and it was a case of making sure we didn’t have any regrets.
“It was pretty much as simple as that. Make sure you give a good account of yourself and perform. We don’t fail ourselves. That was the message I tried to get across.”
His words clearly hit home as Wales swept to a 32-20 victory with tries from Gethin Jenkins and Kevin Morgan, plus the goal-kicking of fly-half Stephen Jones and centre Henson.
Then came the trophy presentation which stands out as a particularly sweet memory for Owen.
“I remember looking up to my wife, Lucy. She was sat right in front of us. She was pregnant with our second child at the time and I just remember us smiling at each other.
“We’d been together from a young age and she’d sacrificed a lot and been so supportive of me, helping me loads during my career to get to that point. So that was really nice and really special.
“Lifting that trophy just felt like a massive relief after everything that group of players had been through. Nothing happens overnight. It had been such a long journey to get to that point, with lots of hard work, lots of matches and lots of ups and downs.
“I always remember when we toured New Zealand in the summer of 2003, and had a heavy defeat to the All Blacks, Scott Johnson went on TV and said in 18 months time this team will be the best team in Europe. Everyone laughed at him, but we did just that.
“There was such a sense of pride and satisfaction. Receiving that trophy would be the single most special moment that encapsulated it. Everything we had done, everything we had gone through together was preparing for that moment. It was just really amazing and such a happy feeling.”
With the formalities done, it was time for the party to begin.
“The families came into the changing room afterwards, which was fantastic. It was a special time in your life.
“We had a private function at the Brains brewery and then went over to the Hilton Hotel for the official reception.”
It was at that point when it all really started to hit home.
“That was unbelievable,” recalls Owen.
“We were walking into the Hilton and there was a tunnel of fans. It was like a guard of honour.
“People were going crazy to see us. It was like being a rock star or something! It was a pretty surreal time.
“When you look back at the pictures from that day and see the scenes that were unfolding in Cardiff and around the whole country, it’s extraordinary. It shows the magnitude of it. There was such a sense of occasion. It was a very special day.
“I remember they showed a video of Welsh troops in Basra and they were all going crazy, celebrating the win. It was fantastic to see it giving them so much pleasure. Things like that stick out in my mind.
“You would like to go back and have a day like that again and just enjoy it.”
As for the best Welsh performance during the Championship, Owen says: “I think it would have to be the French game in Paris because that was probably the most difficult one to win, with us being down at half-time, having to come back and then defending like your life depended on it.
“So that was probably the best one, but every match had its moments and when you win the big moments that’s what ultimately gets you a Grand Slam.”
Twenty years on, the achievement still resonates.
“Every now and then, people will come up to me and say ‘I remember that season’ or whatever. That kind of stuff is really nice.
“When you are involved in something like that, it’s really difficult to appreciate it at the time.
“Obviously we realised it was a bit special and that final weekend was incredible, but it’s just sort of your day to day at the time. You just roll into the next match and you are preparing for that. It’s very hard to appreciate it when it’s happening. You don’t realise at the time quite how special it is, but looking back now, it was massive for the country and amazing to have been a part of it. It was just a really special time and pretty awesome.
“It feels like a lifetime ago for me because of the difference in my life now as opposed to then.”
Owen went on to tour New Zealand with the Lions that summer and was to win 41 caps for Wales in all, while he had a successful spell with Saracens before having to retire from playing at the age of 29 due to a knee injury.
For the past 12 years, the father of three has been a teacher at Haileybury College in Hertfordshire, where he is director of rugby.
“I am really lucky to have a good job and I am thoroughly enjoying it.”
Now, as the anniversary of 2005 approaches, he is able to reflect on it - and his rugby journey as a whole - with fresh clarity.
“They showed the Ireland game on TV a couple of years ago. I sat back and watched it and just felt chuffed at having been part of it.
“When you are a kid, you dream of playing for Wales, being captain and winning a Grand Slam. It’s the stuff of dreams. Those dreams came true for me.
“It’s amazing when you think about it like that. It was just a real privilege and a really special moment. It’s nice to have those memories.
“That 2005 campaign was pretty incredible. It’s something you couldn't have imagined in your wildest dreams.
“I finished young, but if you had offered me the career I had when I was starting out, I would have bitten your hand off.”
