Carmarthen-born Owens has been a public supporter of the Labour party, appearing at a rally with Keir Starmer and Eluned Morgan just before the last General Election.
The 38-year-old, who won 91 caps for Wales played a “pivotal” role in averting a players’ strike during his 2023 Welsh captaincy amidst a contract dispute between the squad and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).
Owens’ maternal grandparents, Kenneth Bryan Maynard and Sarah Mary Lorraine Maynard, were both mayors of Carmarthen, with Kenneth also serving as chairman of Dyfed County Council, leading to Owens being given the nickname “The Sheriff” by Scarlets teammate and future coach Dwayne Peel in Owens’ first season with the Scarlets.
Welsh speaker, Owens was inducted into the Gorsedd of Bards at the 2019 National Eisteddfod using the bardic name “Cen y Siryf” or “Ken the Sheriff” in English, in reference to his nickname.
Owens announced his retirement from rugby in April last year on medical advice, due to a long-term back injury. He is now thought to be mulling a move into politics full-time with a bid to back Labour in the Senedd.
The new Senedd Caerfyrddin seat covers the majority of the county of Carmarthenshire, including the Llanelli seat currently held by former transport minister Lee Waters.
Mr Waters has already indicated his intention not to stand for re-election, with Mid and West Wales MS Joyce Watson also ruling herself out for another term.
This leaves Labour without a lead candidate in a ward where 6 members will be elected to a new 96 seat Senedd for the 2026 election.
Wales has been split into 16 new constituencies, pairing the 32 used at the 2024 General Election.
In the new voting system, voters will cast a single ballot for a political party rather than an individual candidate. Each party will rank up to eight candidates per constituency.
To have a chance of winning a seat, Owens would need to be selected in first or second position in Labour’s candidate list for the Caerfyrddin constituency.
Owens’ move from rugby to politics would echo that of Labour MP for Gower and former Wales International Tonia Antoniazzi.
