HEINEKEN CUP FINAL/THE REFEREE:NIGEL OWENS is the man in the middle in tomorrow's Heineken Cup Final at Twickenham but for much of his early adulthood he felt isolated because of his sexuality. In April 2006, unable to cope based largely on self-loathing relating to his appearance, he left a note for his parents and took an overdose. Fortunately he was found within the hour and survived.
It wasn’t, though, until 2007 that he felt confident enough to come out as gay in an interview in the Wales on Sunday newspaper. He said of his decision: “It’s such a big taboo to be gay in my line of work, I had to think very hard about it because I didn’t want to jeopardise my career.
“Coming out was very difficult and I tried to live with who I really was for years. I knew I was ‘different’ from my late teens, but I was just living a lie.”
A courageous decision drew a largely supportive reaction from the various strands of the sport.
His autobiography – Owens is a fluent Welsh speaker – Hanner Amser, which translates as “Half-time”, was released in November 2008 with an English version following in October 2009.
His honesty in addressing his life to that point is supplemented by a keen sense of humour.
It’s something he brings to refereeing most memorably in recent times when he took Benetton Treviso’s South African-born scrumhalf Tobias Botes, to task in a game against Munster.
Calling the Treviso captain and Botes to him, the exchange went as follows.
Owens: “The law is quite clear. The maul is held up, unplayable, turnover ball, no issue whatsoever. I don’t think we have met before (addressing Botes) but I am the referee on this field; not you. Stick to your job and I will do mine. If I hear you shouting for anything again I am going to penalise you. This is not soccer; is that clear? Back you go and get on with the game.”
The clip became a YouTube sensation and spawned a T-shirt, designed and sold by Ruckin’ Shirts, UK that bears the slogan, “This is not soccer,” Nigel Owens. They proved popular with supporters and on a recent visit to the RDS Owens signed several after the match.
In another Munster match, this time featuring the Glasgow Warriors, he used a mobile phone to contact the television match official (TMO) following a technical malfunction. The television commentator suggested that he was phoning a friend to which Owens responded on twitter later: “Is commentator serious or what? Thinking I would take a call from a friend on the field. Does he know referees don’t have any?”
On another occasion he instructed all 30 players in a match involving the Scarlets and Leinster to join him in the middle of the pitch following a late tackle and subsequent scuffle, laying down the law in no uncertain terms.
There have been darker edges on the pitch most notably after a 2011 World Cup match involving South Africa and Samoa in which he sent off Samoan fullback Paul Williams. The latter’s team-mate Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu blasted Owens in a foul-mouthed rant in which amongst other things he labelled the referee as a racist and a cheat.
The Welsh official admitted: “To stoop that low, I think that’s as bad as it can get. To be called a racist and a cheat was unfair and very hurtful. If this guy knew what I had been through in my life, perhaps he would have held back. I know what’s it like to be singled out and to be in the minority so the last thing I am is a racist.”
He took up officiating in 2001, was appointed as an international referee in 2005 and his bow in the Test arena was Ireland’s summer tour victory over Japan in Osaka. He made his World Cup debut in 2007 and is one of only two referees to have been appointed to take charge of two consecutive Heineken Cup finals: Munster v Toulouse at the Millennium Stadium in 2008 and Leicester Tigers v Leinster at Murrayfield in 2009.
Speaking of European club matters he was the referee in charge of the infamous quarter-final between Harlequins and Leinster at The Stoop that became known as “Bloodgate”.
His personality on the pitch – he is one of the sport’s best referees – can be gleaned from his observation. “(After) what I have been through in my life, worrying about what game I am going to referee or about a mistake on the rugby field is far down the list of priorities.”
The former school technician from a small village called Mynyddcerrig in the Gwendraeth Valley in South Wales will preside over his 70th Heineken Cup match in tomorrow’s final.
Ref watch: Owens’ style of officiating
THE 40-year-old has matured into one of the game’s best referees. He’s relaxed, very confident in his own ability, has a sense of humour and is a good communicator.
No one is allowed off their feet in the tackle area. He’s very strict in his interpretation and anyone trying to play the ball illegally will be punished.
He will go after the tackler if he hangs on or lingers in the tackle area. He’s very consistent in his interpretation.
Any arriving players at the breakdown who present weak body positions and fall or flop over the top and/or try and crawl out the far side will earn his censure.
If players trying to poach ball have strong body positions and are on their feet (Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy do it very well) then he’ll look favourably on their claims.
It’ll be interesting to see how he interprets the new IRB ruling about cleaners arriving at a ruck, which is a hot topic at the moment.
He’s proactive in his communication. He identifies players by colour of jersey and number. You’ll hear: “Release blue seven.” It’s very constructive in helping the game flow, appreciated by players and removes ambiguity.
His penalty counts are relatively low; in and around 14 or 15 per match.
If he has an issue with a player he’ll chat quietly on the way to a set-piece or during a lull in play.
