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As shock revelations have surfaced that Ben Mowen will leave Australia to ply his trade in the French Top 14 competition at the end of Super Rugby this year it’s worth reflecting on his unique impact on these shores.
When Ben Mowen was appointed as Wallabies captain instead of James Horwill I was happy with the decision but also wrote this about the wider picture:
“Once the state of flux around the Wallabies culture, style and personnel is resolved will Mowen still be the captain of this team? Probably not.”
It may be the case that Ben Mowen understood the long-term situation for his rugby career in Wallabies gold as well, given that his decision to leave the game here came after his two best years as a player, leader and representative.
Mowen spoke to Fairfax Media’s Chris Dutton about his decision to leave and one of the main ones that stood out was a chance to put his family first.
And I’m not doubting that being the biggest factor in him leaving – that is an admirable decision.
However, he also said, “It’s the hardest decision of my career and I flipped 100 different ways trying to figure out which way I was going to go.”
Some of that flipping would have included weighing up the future based on the past and understanding how he fitted into the big picture.
That picture begins with a rugby debut at 22 for the QLD Reds in 2006 but not getting another game – for a team going very poorly, mind you – until 2008 when he moved to Sydney and latched on at the Waratahs.
So far it’s a picture of fits and starts, and like he said; his family supported him through that period.
By 2008 Mowen is 24 years old, a time when long-career professionals start to get near their potential as a player, not move teams for minutes.
Mowen experienced moderate success at the Waratahs, playing 40 games over four years.
He wasn’t good enough to earn any Wallabies caps and wasn’t part of a winning team there either. He was around for the Waratahs down-swing after a more successful Ewen McKenzie era – remember, players like Dean Mumm were every gamers in those years (shudder).
Leaving the Waratahs because they decided to sign a well, well past his best Rocky Elsom in place of you couldn’t be a great feeling, but it was one Mowen had to deal with.
This led to signing on with the Brumbies, his third team, where South African Jake White would be his coach.
Already the career of Mowen looks quite unique – not many players get signed to their third team by 28; or play under a South African World Cup winner in an Aussie Super Rugby team; or get named as captain of that team before their first match there.
But this happened to Ben Mowen.
That first of his Brumbies side performed far above expectations, even according to those inside the playing group and staff. They were close to the play-offs and may well have secured one if it weren’t for some seriously bad injury luck.
Mowen had his best season as a rugby player by far in his first for the Brumbies and was the on-field embodiment of the coach in a turn-around season teams like the Force, Highlanders, Waratahs and Lions could only dream of.
That season was rewarded by the Wallabies’ coach pointing out his chicken legs.
Year two of his Brumbies reign was capped by him playing 123,000 minutes on the way to a Super Rugby finals appearance – just two years after the club was so messed up it was almost better off moving to Parramatta. An amazing achievement as captain.
The good form was finally rewarded with a Wallabies call-up where he played another 75,000 minutes and was made the captain there when Ewen McKenzie decided James Horwill wasn’t suited to that anymore.
What an astonishing rise for a player who had to move club twice before he was 28.
And McKenzie’s decision was obviously correct; the Wallabies culture was as big a problem as their on-field skills shortage and Mowen had literally just finished working with White to resurrect a Super Rugby club in a similar position.
I don’t know how if White knew just how suited Mowen was to that task, but for McKenzie it was like a dress rehearsal for stepping into Wallabies leadership and turning a poor Rugby Championship into a very promising Spring Tour.
After a hard first act, Mowen was the right man with just the right traits and drive to turn around two teams in three years.
That is a second act not even Martin Scorsese could have envisioned for a player who had one Super Rugby cap for his first three years in professional rugby.
Would Ben Mowen be the first choice player for any back-row Wallabies position in 2014 should all players become available? Probably not, when you consider Scott Higginbotham, David Pocock, Wycliffe Palu, Michael Hooper etc.
Mowen was the right man at the right time to do something he could do for Australian rugby that no one else could. I think he would have known that too.
In Mowen’s words, “But having family now, it makes me realise I have to put them first because for a long time they’ve been putting me first and it’s time to repay that.”
I won’t pretend to read his mind but my translation would look like this based on his career arc:
‘My family has supported me through hard early seasons. I’ve made promises, made my wife move, and brought a daughter into the world with a travelling performer as a father.
‘Life has been great at the Brumbies and I finally achieved my dream to play for my country. But I might have reached my peak here and now it’s time to repay the faith put in me.’
Too much of our sporting landscape mimics and expects an unending pathological pursuit of winning displayed by the Michael Jordans of this world.
It is a welcome addition to the narrative of sport to see a man love his family as much as his career – to reach the peak but still have the ability to think ahead and plan for his future.
So, good luck to you Ben. I hope you find a French team near the Riviera. Get a boat to use in the offseason and enjoy a fruitful third act to this remarkable career with your family by your side.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.