HEAD coach Rory Duncan sung the praises of hard-working young prop Kai Owen after he held his own on his Worcester Warriors debut.

With Ryan Bower serving a two-match ban, Owen was handed a place on the bench for Warriors’ European Challenge Cup clash with Stade Francais in Paris last Saturday.

Owen was introduced with 15 minutes remaining and Duncan was delighted with how he handled himself as Worcester clinched a memorable 38-27 victory.

“Kai has probably got one of the best work ethics in the team,” Duncan said.

“He trained really hard in pre-season so to see him come on and be able to hold his position was great.

“There were some fairly sizeable Frenchmen putting pressure on him but he got the penalty in the last scrum which was very impressive.”

Owen secured a senior academy contract at Warriors this summer after starring for Worcester Cavaliers and National One champions Coventry last season.

The 19-year-old now looks set to feature on Saturday when Warriors take on Ospreys at Sixways (3pm).

“Even in the four months that I have been here I have seen Kai progress and I think he is definitely a player for the future,” Duncan said.

“Obviously Ryan’s suspension is unfortunate but it creates a great opportunity for Kai.”