Owens eyeing record books as in-form Wales extend winning streak to 10

Ken Owens says he hopes "the records will keep tumbling" following Wales' spectacular win in their Guinness Six Nations opener against France.

The Wales squad headed to Nice on Saturday, where they will prepare for next weekend's Six Nations appointment with Italy in Rome.

And they did so after completing the finest fightback in Five or Six Nations history, wiping out a 16-point interval deficit to topple France 24-19.

It eclipsed France's effort in trailing by 15 points before beating Ireland in 1989, while Wales' 10-game undefeated run matches their longest winning sequence for 20 years.

And if they see off Italy it would equal their all-time record of 11 victories, set between 1907 and 1910.

"Records are there to be broken, and there have been some very good Welsh sides over the years," said hooker Owens, who became his country's most capped player in that position when he made a 61st appearance on Friday.

"We are 10 on the bounce now, and you have to go back to 1907 for the record, so as a team it's a big thing for us to hopefully equal the record and then pass it.

"But it's not something we speak too much about.

"We just want to win, and hopefully the records will keep tumbling and we can put ourselves in history."

Wales' hopes of making a strong start to their Six Nations campaign looked a distant dream after France moved 16-0 up at the break.

But two George North tries after scrum-half Tomos Williams touched down – plus nine points from goalkickers Gareth Anscombe and Dan Biggar – secured an unlikely triumph.

Owens added: "It was calm at half-time. Even before the coaches spoke, the players came up with all the answers and said all the things we needed to improve.

"Thankfully, we delivered in the second half. There is a lot of character and plenty of experience within the squad.

"Winning becomes a habit, and we found a way to win. We are on a pretty decent run at the minute, and good teams find ways to win even when they are not at their best.

"There is a long way to go and plenty to improve on for next week in Rome, but hopefully we can get a result out there and keep building."

If Wales win in Rome – they are strong favourites to do so – Owens and company will be on a possible title and Grand Slam course with two of their final three Six Nations games being at home, against rivals for silverware England and Ireland.

"We've managed expectation before," Owens said.

"It is Wales, and there is pressure on us being on such a winning run, but we will enjoy that. We will work hard and hopefully we can keep getting wins and performing.

"Winning comes with confidence, and we've had a lot of guys come in who have done very well and really stepped up to the plate.

"They have gained experience, and it's easier to get that when you are winning.

"They did well in Argentina last summer, and now we've got a lot of young guys in our squad who have a lot of caps. That can only be a good thing, and we've got to keep that going."