Young Guns – Chester Owen, Coventry

Chester Owen, Coventry Back Rower

Chester Owen bounced back from his release by boyhood club Leicester Tigers, starring for Coventry this season and the back row is now targeting a return to the Premiership.

Owen, who just turned 21 last month, has broken into the Coventry first team this season making seven appearances for the Championship title contenders.

The 6ft 3ins, 17st plus forward initially plied his trade as a centre before his raw power and dynamism caught the eye of Leicester who brought the teenager into their academy before earning a professional contract with the Premiership giants.

Owen told The Rugby Paper: “Growing up I used to watch Leicester and loved the Tuilagi brothers, Manu and Alesana as they were the biggest.

“I joined the club when I was 18 in 2020 when I started in the academy. They trained me and worked me hard getting me to where I am today.

“It can be quite scary at times because you go from your club and county into an environment that determines the start of your career.

“There’s a lot of stress and emotions flying around but if you get stuck in, like I did, then it can take you a long way. So, it’s important not to doubt yourself.

“Getting released wasn’t how I wanted it to end; a couple of injuries, a couple of concussions and I wasn’t progressing how they wanted me to.

“It was disappointing but I knew it wasn’t the end of the world. I had to work on myself and keep pushing on and see what opportunities came my way.”

Leicester Lions

While at Tigers, Owen was loaned out to Leicester Lions and was part of the group that won the club’s first ever National Two West title in 2022/23. With the club now holding their own in the third tier, Owen keeps a close eye on their results.

“It was wonderful,” said Owen. “To be able to get game time somewhere else as an academy player was huge for me.

“They really welcomed me in and I got stuck in playing men’s rugby. It was a brilliant experience to win the league. I’ve been to a few games since. I’ll try to go down whenever I can because it’s a good club I enjoy visiting.”

Coventry Environment

Owen has revelled in his new environment at Coventry, where he signed ahead of last season, and has aspirations of reaching the top flight. The promising back row, known for his barnstorming carries, enjoys learning from the likes of experienced former England international Matt Kvesic.

He added: “There’s not much difference between Leicester and Coventry in terms of the environments.

“However, I was immersed in the academy at Leicester while at Coventry, the first team is so competitive and the aggression is a lot higher.

“When I first got in, it was like this is real, I’m training with the first team and have an opportunity to play regularly. Training was hard early on but the lads have been brilliant.

“It’s amazing to be playing this season. Matt is one of the easiest guys to speak to if you ever need anything. He’s the first person there to say, ‘Do this, don’t worry about that, just play your game’.

“I’ve got no thoughts of leaving Coventry at the minute, I’m enjoying living my life there. It’s exciting times at the club with how well we are doing.”

By Ben Jaycock