Owen Franks in first All Blacks start

BY DANIEL GILHOOLY

For a man whose rugby career has exploded in the space of three months, it's little wonder Owen Franks is relaxed about making his first All Blacks test start in the furnace of Durban.

Crusaders tighthead prop Franks' breakneck rise reached a crescendo overnight (NZT) when named to start the Tri-Nations rematch against South Africa on Sunday morning.

He and halfback Jimmy Cowan are the two new faces in the starting 15, replacing Neemia Tialata and Brendon Leonard respectively in a team faced with reversing the 28-19 loss at Bloemfontein last weekend.

At 21, Franks is among the youngest props to ever start an All Blacks test. He is about a year older than the record-holder -- Mark Irwin, who debuted against Australia at Wellington in 1955.

He reflected today on the remarkable period since making his first Super 14 start in April.

Two months before that he was fourth prop in the franchise pecking order, with older brother Ben, Wyatt Crockett and Bronson Murray all rated ahead of him.

"At the start of the year I set my goals to maybe get a couple of starts for the Crusaders and maybe have a crack at the Junior All Blacks," he said.

"Even then, that was setting my sights quite high."

Murray lost form and Ben -- an All Black against Munster last November -- broke his foot, resulting in regular game time in the second half of the campaign.

His form impressed the All Blacks selectors so much that he was named as a standby player for the June tests.

His debut was as a reserve against Italy last month, followed by impressive bench outings against the Wallabies and Springboks.

"It's been a good progression. I've got a bit more game time each week. I'm feeling pretty comfortable within the team," Franks said.

"I've been coming off the bench 3-4 times now and I'm pretty confident I can do the business starting."

He described his rise as a "natural progression", with his second half at Bloemfontein another step on a steep pathway.

"It was tough on the lungs but I thought the scrums were good. Obviously it's crap to lose but I just need to be happy with the way I went.

"There's a lot of things to improve on but I think the base is there."

All Blacks coach Graham Henry has enjoyed Franks' infectious attitude and raw ability for one so young.

"He's loved it, which is great. He's up for the contest and he will learn a lot I'm sure," Henry said.

"He is playing a very good prop, a very strong man (Tendai Mtawarira). But Owen rates himself, which is very important at this level.

"He's done things beyond what we thought he would do at this point in time so that's hugely positive for the young guy."

Forwards coach Steve Hansen said Franks had been on his radar before this year, having shown promise for Canterbury and with national age group teams.

His 118kg frame -- 5kg heavier than Ben, who is nearly four years his senior -- helped him foot it at test level from the get-go.

"Especially when you're up against a big pack. He's a naturally big man and he's playing against naturally big men."

Henry said 36-test veteran Tialata may have overcome a knee strain before the weekend but didn't want to take the risk.

"We could have pushed him out to play but when you are playing the best in the world, you need to prepare correctly. Preparing correctly is not walking around the field getting your injuries right."

John Afoa comes on to the reserve bench and will cover both sides of the scrum, including the less-familiar loosehead role.

The halfback switch was an easy call for Henry, with Leonard's error count too high as the All Blacks fumbled their way through the first half at Bloemfontein.

"He is deeply disappointed, we are all disappointed for him," Henry said of the Waikato No 9.

"He has a big future Brendon, I think he's a very good footballer. I just think he needs a bit more game time and he played when the All Blacks weren't playing particularly well. So that probably reflects to some extent how the team played and how he played.

"He will get another opportunity, hopefully not too far ahead and he will take it."

ALL BLACKS: Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Stephen Donald, Jimmy Cowan, Rodney So'oialo, Richie McCaw (c), Jerome Kaino, Isaac Ross, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Keven Mealamu, John Afoa, Jason Eaton, Kieran Read, Piri Weepu, Luke McAlister, Cory Jane.

SPRINGBOKS: Francois Steyn, JP Pietersen, Jaque Fourie, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pierre Spies, Juan Smith, Heinrich Brussow, Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, John Smit (captain), Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira. Reserves: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Jannie du Plessis, Danie Rossouw, Ryan Kankowski, Ricky Januarie, Adrian Jacobs, Wynand Olivier.

-NZPA