NEWPORT Gwent Dragons number eight Michael Owen says his battle to earn a Test place against New Zealand is as tough as ever despite the injury which has ended Lawrence Dallaglio's British Lions tour almost before it begun.

Dallaglio was invalided out of the tour after just 22 minutes of the first match against Bay of Plenty on Saturday when he dislocated an ankle as he fell awkwardly making a tackle.

But Owen insisted, "There is still plenty of competition for the number eight position and there are a lot of good back row forwards out here so it's still going to be difficult to get into the Test team.

"Obviously it's a blow to lose Lawrence so early in the tour. I didn't know him very well, but I'd realised in the few weeks we'd been out here what a valuable player he is. It's very unfortunate for him."

Owen's claim for a Test place will not, however, be helped by the decision, though pre-arranged, to return home next weekend.

His wife is due to give birth to their second child and Owen will fly out next Sunday, returning four days later. Owen is the sole Welshman in the starting line-up for the Lions' second game against Taranaki in New Plymouth on Wednesday, though the captaincy moves to fellow back row forward Matin Corry of England.

Owen led the Lions in their pre-tour game against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium a fortnight ago, but the intention on the tour is to rotate the captaincy when skipper Brian O'Driscoll is not playing.

"The situation has been explained to me and I understand it, I've just got to get on with it and play as well as I can."