WATCH: This Is Why Nigel Owens Is One Of The Great Ambassadors For Rugby
Latest posts by Will Matthews (see all)
- Former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg pleads guilty in court - November 4, 2024
- Groundbreaking new big-money club rugby tournament in the works - November 4, 2024
- Ronan O’Gara has his say on the Munster job and if he’s interested - November 2, 2024
Legend.
Whether you like or dislike Nigel Owens for whatever reason, you simply have to respect the man and what he has done and continues to do for the game of rugby among other things.
Some might disagree with how he handles games sometimes, but in truth he’s one of the great rugby referees and when he eventually hangs up his whistle – he will be sorely missed.
You might have noticed the Welshman wasn’t on duty in the PRO14 over the weekend, but he kept himself busy. Owens took charge of a Welsh Premiership club game and even lent a hand at half-time refereeing the mini rugby game for the children before even going into his changing room.
Speaking to BBC at half-time on Friday night, Owens says he likes to referee a game the week before a Test match (he takes charge of Ireland vs Italy in Chicago on Saturday), and because he had the weekend off he thought he’d come up and take charge of the club game in Wales.
Another thing that makes Owens such a good referee and ambassador is his honesty and transparency as a match official. If he makes a mistake he has no issue owning up, and revealed referees just like players can have dips in form, hence why he wanted to stay active over the weekend.
“Ya you do (have dips in form).” Owens said.
“Sometimes you’re unlucky and the game just doesn’t go your way, the same as a player.
“You can’t referee up at that level week in, week out. There’s gonna be a dip in form the exact same way as a player.
“I get those game where I think – ‘what the hell was I doing there.’”
"It's full-on, full-blooded"
@Nigelrefowens' assessment of the game@BBCTwo Wales
Watch here https://t.co/WeHvcxX1X8 pic.twitter.com/9UJqzwN7yH
— BBC ScrumV (@BBCScrumV) October 26, 2018