Wasn't it just his retirement game against the barbarians? (A World XV team, for those who don't know) and Warren Gatland's send off too? Not that it's normal o see, but it's certainly understandable.
Reffed his local team as well. The scheduled ref was called away, and the opposition team suggested that Nigel, who was in the crowd, could be the ref. That's when you know the level of respect he is held in.
The comment "Dive like that again, come back in two weeks and play, not today," always cracks me up. Nigel was referring to the fact the stadium was going to be the venue for a major soccer game in two weeks.
Listened to your comments. Nigel is actually gay and happily married and is a farmer in Wales now he is retired. He has been out for many years. And is still one of the all time greatest and most respected referees. Very proud of rugby of being a very inclusive sport
He is gay, I didn't know if someone would say. But he was always the man. Strongest and best players in the world had the most respect for him I think. The game is the game and he always left it flow if he could and gave good warning to whichever team. Probably best ref ever in any sport because of respect he got and demands.
Nigel loves the game at all levels there was a story about a young lad who was being bullied for being overweight. Parents were saying he shouldn't ne allowed to play on the team until he lost weight . Nigel heard about it and said "Rugby is for everyone who wants to play and I would be glad to come and ref one of your games if you'll have me" and he did, he went to a local park to referee a game played by 12 year olds ❤️
About the pint thing, you're 100% right. I'm pretty sure Mr. Owens doesn't have to pay for any drink if he goes to a sports bar for a drink. He is so respected and loved.
The Nigel Owen’s of this sport are a different breed of Referees! Respect begets respect. But everyone knows who’s Boss with Nigel. He will be sorely missed on the International stage!!
I remember the match with the cell phone. Nigel was phoning the TMO (video replay ref) because their usual communication link had malfunctioned and he needed to find out if a try was scored or not.
Nigel Owens is to rugby union, what Freddie Mercury was to Rock and Roll : a legend. Both excelling in their respective trades. Nigel Owens post-rugby referee career has become a stock farmer. Respect and admiration for the man.
Nigel has a most interesting back story. He came out a while back, hence the “I’m straighter than that.” on the throw in. My cousins played rugby in Wales and the rugby community tend to look down on ‘soccer’. Love Nigel and his professionalism.
You are right i like rugby and football but my family are generally more rugby. Theres a saying footballs a gentlemans game watched by thugs and rugbys a game for thugs watched by gentlemen. I have friends that support both sports locally, you can tell what my folks think when theyre interacting with both. Theyre probably right in theyre assumptions. Football days out are much crazier.
@@MusbCrazy80 I think you’ll find that quote to be, “Soccer is a gentleman's game played by hooligans, and rugby is a hooligans' game played by gentlemen.” Supposedly the author was Winston Churchill.
@@gsbealer actually no that's not what I meant. Ive never heard rugby being described as a hooligans game played by gentleman. Down here I've always known as played by one type watched by the opposite. You learn something new every day 👍
Best Ref ever.. loved world wide.. Miss him now he has retired into the farming life raises cattle , Gives great speeches and sometimes commentates on matches... thanks for the review
I'm from Wales myself and Nigel always gives off this energy that you got from our teachers.... well the ones that grew up in Wales at least. You could tell the difference because they had this kind of vibe, they talk you down calmly. It's actually bizzare to look back on it that way, but there really is that much of a difference.
when i was a teenager in England i knew a welsh cop who was just like that, he could've talked Hannibal Lecter into veganism with a calm "disappointed dad" tone.
Thing is, this is all the chat and fun stuff, which is great, but what made Nigel the best referee in the world was his empathy for the game and the way he could manage it in such a way as to let it flow as well as it can. A poor ref can very easily ruin a game by letting the players rule the discipline (or lack of) side of things and just blowing up constantly for unnecessary reasons. He's well missed in the game but there are other excellent rugby referees too and they generally don't get the credit they deserve for doing what is an extremely difficult job..
I very rarely watch football (soccer), but the only referee I can think of where I never saw the players give him shit was Pierluigi Collina. No one would *dare* talk back to him. 😆 Nige is a Welsh national treasure and is sorely missed on the field since his retirement.
The irony (deliberate) is that the advert for "Specsavers" on the back of the ref's shirt is an advert for a chain of opticians. The Specsavers tv adverts show people making various mistakes (e.g a shepherd sheers his dog rather than his sheep, a vet thinks a fluffy hat is a cat without a pulse, etc) with the tag line "should have gone to Specsavers. And we all know that a favorite shout from the crowd at any sporting event is "Are you blind, ref?"
That comment with the lineout throw "I'm straighter than that throw was" is classic Nigel Owens and some self-deprecating humor. A line-out throw-in must be thrown straight down the middle, and obviously that throw-in was terribly off. As everyone in the rugby world knows Nigel is gay (and nobody gives two fucks because he doesn't pop off all the time about his sexuality, he doesn't make it political, it is what it is and the guy does his job well so everyone gets along). So when he made that comment about him being "straighter" than that throw in the rugby world collectively howled and fell to the floor in laughter. Too funny and Nigel is the perfect example of a guy being who he is, not taking himself too seriously and just being his best person.
He did get a fan kicked out and banned from Twickenham for shouting homophobic abuse at him. He said he didn't give a damn about it for himself- he been through all that and those kind of idiots could not hurt him but he did it for any 14 year old gay rugby fan who was going through what he went through at 14 and may of heard it.
I can guarantee you it's not gay people "making their lives political", it's weirdo, fragile straights who can't get over the fact that some guys just fancy guys. They're the ones who make it a problem for everyone else.
Hardest job in sport is Rugby union referee . So much going on and given the nature of the game , the hardest thing is to let the play continue as it would be so easy to wear out your whistle . Nigel was the very best because everyone had no choice but respect for the Nigel
One of the things I like about Nigel is, all the games that he has ref, he pronounces and say the name of the players really nicely. There are some players with hard first name to pronounce and he does it effortlessly ❤
Great reaction guys. Now you see why Nigel is The Grand Master of referees. When he speaks it is him holding court. The way he can stop these HUGE hulks of men stop by just saying their name 😂
That was such a good comment that I am going to overlook the totally unnecessary apostrophe in "referees". Next time ,if you repeat that,you will be dealt with more harshly:)
After that game, he met up with the young lad he 'yellow carded' and chatted to him and gave him a signed shirt. What is not commonly known, is that even at his peak as an international referee, he once took time out to referee a school level match.
An important thing in Rugby is that only the team captains are allowed to query things with the ref. I wish they could enforce thst in football (soccer), to stop referees being surrounded by players all telling the ref what to do.
That "off you go,before i change the colour of it." That player got the Sin Bin (Yellow Carded and removed from play for 10 minutes) for talking back,he was still going until Nigel threatened to change it to Red and remove from the game entirly.
Didn't take but one clip for you guys to see why he's liked. Nigel Owens is a referee that the sport can be proud of. I don't think Rugby fans are ignorant of how rare that is and players knew he'd be fair. The man was allowed to referee a game that Wales were playing against The Barbarians - pretty much the first time that was allowed since the amateur days before WW2 (officiating a game that his home country was competing in..).
Small quibble, but neutral refs weren't a thing until just before professionliasm (early 90s). You still had home refs doing real biased shit as late as the 70s and 80s .
Nigel is definitely a class act and we truly respect with the way he officiates the game. He officiates with proper ethics and actual respect for not only the game but the players as well. We need more like that in the US.
@@dcbbot that happened recently,during qualifying for,I think the 2018 World cup in Japan, the Euro qualifier was between Spain and Romania,after the game the Referee for the game, who just so happened to be Romanian, was suspended by World Rugby for his bias and preferental treatment of Romania. It later came to nothing since both Romania and Spain got disqualified by World Rugby for fielding non-elegable players, so Russia, the 3rd place team, took the Euro spot.
Nigel is the epitome of what is important in sport from a referee and that is consistency. Regardless of whether or not you agree with his decision, you know that he will make the same decision for any team in the same situation.
i really miss him refereeing games in the world cup and internationals. he retired reasonably early. he's one of the few referees i can think of who are globally respected, even by fans. as others have said - communication is key as a referee. if you can respectfully articulate what you need to to players, you'll find they generally do the same in return. it's also important to note that it isn't just his communication that is great - he is regarded as one of, if not the best rugby referees of all time. he refereed a record 100 international tests (which was the most at the time) and he refereed the world cup 2015 final between new zealand and australia (one of the great rivalries in world rugby). it's crazy to think now he still referees at club level in wales. it seems funny to think he's now refereeing at such a low level, but is just another sign of his love for the game and his humbleness.
The cell phone was because the line of communication between him and the Television Match Official (Replay review) had shorted out, Nigel called the TMO on his personal phone for a review as a result of the glitch.
A ref who I’d love to see in football ⚽️, Nigel Owens is absolutely fine example of a referee, the world of rugby 🏉 and Wales 🏴 should be so proud of him. Can only say great things about him.
I feel sorry for refs - for the most part you only remember them when they've had a bad day at the office. The good ones, you don't notice. Nigel Owens is one of the rare exceptions to the rule. Best bit I know of Nigel Owens talking with players went something like: "listen lads, it's a good close game, and you got thousands of fans here and at home watching. It won't be as close if one side is down to 14 men. So don't upset your fans by annoying me, okay?", all delivered in that great Welsh accent.
I have lost count of the games I've watched that Nigel has reffed .... He is the 'bees knees' ....respected by all teams from around the world and bloody good at his job !
Nigel Owens set an example which is unequalled, always will be worldwide in Rugby annals We were SO fortunate to have him overseeing the sport of RF and underlining the spirit, respect and quality of the Game What a fantastic breath of fresh air of authority, craftsmanship and skill and amazing contributor to raising the spectacle and spectator value, the standard of this great Game of sport ~ the interaction between Officials and players the understanding of the relationship between Sterling stuff He set the benchmark uniquely, naturally and spontaneously: always will be the case Simply FANTASTIC NO‼️ Job excellently done and standard set a complete joie🥂 RESPECT‼️ 🪖
Cricket and rugby have lost so many of the voices of the sports (McLaren " this one's cpming down with snow on top"). Nigel was a dying breed of character rather than sound bite and spin he just loves the game within the rules. His charactrer and love for the game are what I believe people respond to. Passion and spirit. What more do people want from sporting competition? Simply exemplary and a good man.
Nigel Owens worked his way up from being a regional referee to making himself the most indispensible referree in the world. I'm very annoyed as a Weslshman, that he never reffed our games. Best ref ever. Never in doubt.
the man just loves and respects the game. gotta love him for it. best ref i have ever seen. tbf most rugby refs are good and i love the fact that you can hear what they are saying and that they (usually) make sense.
Not certain you two guys picked up on it, but when he blew up for a crooked line-out throw, He said " I'm straighter than that ", as he's openly gay. He confirmed it some years ago when as a guest on a Rugby TV show in his native Wales, he emerged from a wardrobe, mimicking the phrase, " coming out of the closet " A wonderfully warm man, whom I've had the privilege of meeting, he is universally admired throughout the game ...
The guy in black at 10.01 is Alun Wyn Jones who was captain of Wales (Nigel's country) and the British and Irish Lions, and with more than 158 international games (a record), and highly respected around the world. It makes no difference to the way that Nigel refs the game
Weeks after Nigel Owens had taken charge of the World Cup final, he was refereeing an under 15s local Welsh final.! Respect for the referee and your opponent is a corner stone of the game. Its there from the first days you play to professional and international matches. ☘️💚🇮🇪
With the one about the charge down being voided (9ish minutes), it’s not because he celebrated blocking it (which would’ve been fine because it’s incredibly rare), it’s because he was shouting whilst trying to block it, which you’re not allowed to do.
You should see the second video of this, Nigel goes to Yellow Card a player, and finds out as he's moving that he forgot his cards. He just tells the guy. "I don't have my cards on me,but it's a Yellow Card, you're off."
Nigel Owen was the best referee in modern Rugby. He was superb when he was dealing with International Test Games ( matches between countries). Sometimes these International Tests were explosive in pace and national pride. Old rivalry surfaces for example England verus France and The All Blacks (New Zealand) verus "The Springboks (South Africa).
Respect for the ref starts at day one in Rugby. There is also the threat that a decision can be reversed or an extra 10 yards lost for dissent. Wayne Barnes is another ref to watch, a similar respect for the game, but he famously provides a running commentary during the game, advising and explaining to players during play.
Yes. I don't remember it so much from when I played at school but 'Respect' is certainly one of the things being drilled into my son's youth team. Respect for the game, respect for your teammates, respect for the officials and respect for the opposition. As an example, a few weeks ago, partly due to some favourable circumstances, his team was beating the opposition so comfortably that they started getting cocky and saying to teammates who hadn't scored that they'd make sure they got a score. At the end, the coaches told them off for this as it was not respecting the other team.
You can get a ref link at some of these marches so you can hear all the officials. Nigel was one of the few openly gay rugby refs/players, hence the “I’m straighter than that one” at the line out throw in. He is hugely respected by rugby players and fans alike. Homophobia also seems to be a soccer thing, like chat back and feigning injury. He’s an absolute star.
Christopher is a giant in the game of Welsh rugby but he could be a teenaged school child the way Nigel talks to him… but Nigel receives only respect … his punditry is fantastic too when he explains refereeing decisions …
Hi guys I have just seen your 10 minutes of Nigel Owen. Fantastic watching. I have only just retired from rugby at the age of 57 I started when I was 8 . I can honestly say Nigel is a God of a Refs. One of the best comments he says is I'm straighter than that I'm not sure if you are aware but Nigel is Gay 👍 he also said at one time I like your laces that's because the players were wearing rainbow ones . It's a shame he's retired and gone back to be a farmer . Miss you Nigel❤️
Nigel Owens is pretty much universally respected in the world of rugby union. Openly gay, he would often make funny comments about how straight the lines/put ins were, but he'd take no nonsense, no back chat, which is mercifully rare in rugby anyway.
Was just wandering through rugby videos, and found you guys. I'm delighted to find ya both, and Nigel's "You're straighter than me" He's gay, and one of the most open lgbt members of welsh rugby. Love you guys btw
With regards to your comments about him being a father. He is gay and as of last year, him and his partner were in the process of adopting a child. With him being gay, now you can understand his ‘ I’m straighter than that one ‘ comment when the line out throw was skew. Great ref.
First thing you learn in rugby - you'll never ever change a refs decision but you can influence his next decision. Be respectful, yes sir, no sir and keep the referees on side. Also, play to the whistle!
We were taught that as kids as well, atleast my generation, but along the line somewhere it got lost unfortunately. Sometimes it is deserving though and thats a whole other issue that i could write a novel about. never the less respect should always be expected unless you are treated with disrespect!
Thanks for your video. Another rugby ref you might be interested in is Wayne Barnes. He's not as funny as Nigel Owens but he takes no nonsense either and is very ananlytical in his refereeing which is great beause you can hear him going through his thought process and why he has come to the decision he has. Also, my son has started to play American Football here in Ireland so I'm getting to know your game as well. As I get to understand the laws I'm really liking it and there are some great athletes playing the game. It would help if the refs were miked up so we could hear the process they go through to make decision though.
14:50 "Dive like that again and come back in two weeks" is because the match (part of the 2015 Rugby World Cup) was being played at Newcastle United Football Club's ground so it's another take on Nigel's famous "this isn't soccer" line.
In rugby us normal players don't address the ref directly - we address him via our team captain, and the ref generally addresses matters of team discipline through the captain, hence Nigel telling the captions to "go and have a word". He would then keep the clock off until the word has been passed around the team. You will also notice the number of rugby players who address the ref as Sir - if we don't have respect it can get very dangerous. Nigel is one of the very best examples of a referee who officiates fairly and with a sense of humour - he loves the gamer and wants it to always be played properly, fairly and safely - he is a complete legend of the sport.
Nigel is globally liked. He is the only ref who was allowed to ref his own national team (Wales) because everyone trusts him.
Wasn't it just his retirement game against the barbarians? (A World XV team, for those who don't know) and Warren Gatland's send off too? Not that it's normal o see, but it's certainly understandable.
@@ChrisTravelssThe Baa baas' the the World XV are two different beasts.
@@goodshipkaraboudjan I know what the ba baas are, as I knew you did.
I was just simplifying for anybody in future who reads this and doesn't know 🙄🙄🙄
@@ChrisTravelssI thought his last Baa baa match was at Twickenham. Still I am glad to see he hot the chance to referee Wales.
Reffed his local team as well. The scheduled ref was called away, and the opposition team suggested that Nigel, who was in the crowd, could be the ref. That's when you know the level of respect he is held in.
"I'm straighter than that one" 🤣. Nigel is Gay, great guy and funny.
He's the only gay in the rugby village whatever Gareth Thomas says
@@suffern63 nice one. I think he's the only gay that hasn't made a point of him being "The only gay", just did his S and happened to be gay, btw.
Nigel Owens needs to be in charge of all refs and the training they receive
The comment "Dive like that again, come back in two weeks and play, not today," always cracks me up. Nigel was referring to the fact the stadium was going to be the venue for a major soccer game in two weeks.
Listened to your comments. Nigel is actually gay and happily married and is a farmer in Wales now he is retired. He has been out for many years. And is still one of the all time greatest and most respected referees. Very proud of rugby of being a very inclusive sport
He is gay, I didn't know if someone would say. But he was always the man. Strongest and best players in the world had the most respect for him I think. The game is the game and he always left it flow if he could and gave good warning to whichever team. Probably best ref ever in any sport because of respect he got and demands.
Nigel loves the game at all levels there was a story about a young lad who was being bullied for being overweight. Parents were saying he shouldn't ne allowed to play on the team until he lost weight .
Nigel heard about it and said "Rugby is for everyone who wants to play and I would be glad to come and ref one of your games if you'll have me" and he did, he went to a local park to referee a game played by 12 year olds ❤️
About the pint thing, you're 100% right. I'm pretty sure Mr. Owens doesn't have to pay for any drink if he goes to a sports bar for a drink. He is so respected and loved.
The Nigel Owen’s of this sport are a different breed of Referees!
Respect begets respect.
But everyone knows who’s Boss with Nigel.
He will be sorely missed on the International stage!!
The ref is right, even if he's wrong he's right and the players accept that.
6:05 You missed the best part : "You don't need to call me sir, I'm from West Wales"...
SUPERSTAR NO‼️‼️🥂
🪖
What did he mean?
The guy who called him Mr ref is called Beast. A south African legend and the most respectful human in the game
Nigel is an icon and a beacon for any referee in any sport, not just rugby.
I remember the match with the cell phone. Nigel was phoning the TMO (video replay ref) because their usual communication link had malfunctioned and he needed to find out if a try was scored or not.
I was wondering about that. Makes total sense. Nigel seems like the sort of guy who would adapt quickly when things went wrong
The incident with the ball boy he later gave him the referee's shirt hr wore during that game and signed it
Nigel Wales is a masterclass on how to control the players in a game. Every referee from every sport should watch and take notes.
Nigel Owens is to rugby union, what Freddie Mercury was to Rock and Roll : a legend. Both excelling in their respective trades. Nigel Owens post-rugby referee career has become a stock farmer. Respect and admiration for the man.
Nigel has a most interesting back story. He came out a while back, hence the “I’m straighter than that.” on the throw in.
My cousins played rugby in Wales and the rugby community tend to look down on ‘soccer’.
Love Nigel and his professionalism.
You are right i like rugby and football but my family are generally more rugby.
Theres a saying footballs a gentlemans game watched by thugs and rugbys a game for thugs watched by gentlemen.
I have friends that support both sports locally, you can tell what my folks think when theyre interacting with both. Theyre probably right in theyre assumptions.
Football days out are much crazier.
@@MusbCrazy80
I think you’ll find that quote to be, “Soccer is a gentleman's game played by hooligans, and rugby is a hooligans' game played by gentlemen.” Supposedly the author was Winston Churchill.
@@gsbealer yeah I was summarising it, I couldn't remember the exact words. You know what I meant though 👍
@@gsbealer actually no that's not what I meant. Ive never heard rugby being described as a hooligans game played by gentleman. Down here I've always known as played by one type watched by the opposite.
You learn something new every day 👍
We all love Nigel, awesome man. Respected by all.
Best Ref ever.. loved world wide.. Miss him now he has retired into the farming life raises cattle , Gives great speeches and sometimes commentates on matches... thanks for the review
Watching rugby and the NFL for forty years Nigel is probably the best official that’s ever been the US need a Nigel
Best thing about Rugby, the ref always has his mic on,so you can always hear his calls and why he made it.
It stops refs getting too much hate as well. As even if you disagree, you can see their point of view
I'm from Wales myself and Nigel always gives off this energy that you got from our teachers.... well the ones that grew up in Wales at least. You could tell the difference because they had this kind of vibe, they talk you down calmly. It's actually bizzare to look back on it that way, but there really is that much of a difference.
when i was a teenager in England i knew a welsh cop who was just like that, he could've talked Hannibal Lecter into veganism with a calm "disappointed dad" tone.
My parents are welsh and they can diffuse a situation in moments. I have learnt some of it but with some manchester flair.
Thing is, this is all the chat and fun stuff, which is great, but what made Nigel the best referee in the world was his empathy for the game and the way he could manage it in such a way as to let it flow as well as it can. A poor ref can very easily ruin a game by letting the players rule the discipline (or lack of) side of things and just blowing up constantly for unnecessary reasons. He's well missed in the game but there are other excellent rugby referees too and they generally don't get the credit they deserve for doing what is an extremely difficult job..
Rugby is the most difficult sport to referee, imo.
I very rarely watch football (soccer), but the only referee I can think of where I never saw the players give him shit was Pierluigi Collina. No one would *dare* talk back to him. 😆
Nige is a Welsh national treasure and is sorely missed on the field since his retirement.
Yes! Although Collina is a LOT scarier than Owens.
Nigel has retired and is now a farmer in Wales.
He does do videos for world rugby's RUclips channel, whistle watch, they are typically on during international matches and the world cup
Good luck to him, a legend of the game.
Beautiful singing voice as well
A legend here in Wales and around the world. Globally respected. He is a father figure to every rugby player.
Nigel is a legend...i heard him say at one point in a game, for the players to "leave your handbags at home".
When players call the ref 'Sir.'
Respect to the players too.
i think they even call the women who ref "sir"
The irony (deliberate) is that the advert for "Specsavers" on the back of the ref's shirt is an advert for a chain of opticians. The Specsavers tv adverts show people making various mistakes (e.g a shepherd sheers his dog rather than his sheep, a vet thinks a fluffy hat is a cat without a pulse, etc) with the tag line "should have gone to Specsavers. And we all know that a favorite shout from the crowd at any sporting event is "Are you blind, ref?"
That comment with the lineout throw "I'm straighter than that throw was" is classic Nigel Owens and some self-deprecating humor. A line-out throw-in must be thrown straight down the middle, and obviously that throw-in was terribly off. As everyone in the rugby world knows Nigel is gay (and nobody gives two fucks because he doesn't pop off all the time about his sexuality, he doesn't make it political, it is what it is and the guy does his job well so everyone gets along). So when he made that comment about him being "straighter" than that throw in the rugby world collectively howled and fell to the floor in laughter. Too funny and Nigel is the perfect example of a guy being who he is, not taking himself too seriously and just being his best person.
Mate, well said. You win the comment section straight up. Pun intended!
He did get a fan kicked out and banned from Twickenham for shouting homophobic abuse at him. He said he didn't give a damn about it for himself- he been through all that and those kind of idiots could not hurt him but he did it for any 14 year old gay rugby fan who was going through what he went through at 14 and may of heard it.
Oh yeah, probably the best line from any ref in any sport in any era 😁
I can guarantee you it's not gay people "making their lives political", it's weirdo, fragile straights who can't get over the fact that some guys just fancy guys. They're the ones who make it a problem for everyone else.
Hardest job in sport is Rugby union referee . So much going on and given the nature of the game , the hardest thing is to let the play continue as it would be so easy to wear out your whistle . Nigel was the very best because everyone had no choice but respect for the Nigel
best quote of Nigel asking vainly a player not to play until he whistles : "what part of wait don't you understand ?"
One of the things I like about Nigel is, all the games that he has ref, he pronounces and say the name of the players really nicely. There are some players with hard first name to pronounce and he does it effortlessly ❤
This guys was my favourite ref! He let the game play out and only got involved when needed. Plus some of his one liners were legendary!!
Great reaction guys. Now you see why Nigel is The Grand Master of referees. When he speaks it is him holding court. The way he can stop these HUGE hulks of men stop by just saying their name 😂
That was such a good comment that I am going to overlook the totally unnecessary apostrophe in "referees". Next time ,if you repeat that,you will be dealt with more harshly:)
@@Isleofskye Sorry Mr Ref. I've fixed my mistake
@@andrewmoss3681Thanks,My Friend. As you were:)
After that game, he met up with the young lad he 'yellow carded' and chatted to him and gave him a signed shirt. What is not commonly known, is that even at his peak as an international referee,
he once took time out to referee a school level match.
An important thing in Rugby is that only the team captains are allowed to query things with the ref. I wish they could enforce thst in football (soccer), to stop referees being surrounded by players all telling the ref what to do.
That "off you go,before i change the colour of it." That player got the Sin Bin (Yellow Carded and removed from play for 10 minutes) for talking back,he was still going until Nigel threatened to change it to Red and remove from the game entirly.
Didn't take but one clip for you guys to see why he's liked. Nigel Owens is a referee that the sport can be proud of. I don't think Rugby fans are ignorant of how rare that is and players knew he'd be fair. The man was allowed to referee a game that Wales were playing against The Barbarians - pretty much the first time that was allowed since the amateur days before WW2 (officiating a game that his home country was competing in..).
Small quibble, but neutral refs weren't a thing until just before professionliasm (early 90s). You still had home refs doing real biased shit as late as the 70s and 80s .
Nigel is definitely a class act and we truly respect with the way he officiates the game. He officiates with proper ethics and actual respect for not only the game but the players as well. We need more like that in the US.
@@dcbbot that happened recently,during qualifying for,I think the 2018 World cup in Japan, the Euro qualifier was between Spain and Romania,after the game the Referee for the game, who just so happened to be Romanian, was suspended by World Rugby for his bias and preferental treatment of Romania. It later came to nothing since both Romania and Spain got disqualified by World Rugby for fielding non-elegable players, so Russia, the 3rd place team, took the Euro spot.
You have to love Nigel Owen’s he was a bam fin referee he knew how to get the best out of players. And was quite humerus at times 😊
Nigel is the epitome of what is important in sport from a referee and that is consistency. Regardless of whether or not you agree with his decision, you know that he will make the same decision for any team in the same situation.
i really miss him refereeing games in the world cup and internationals. he retired reasonably early. he's one of the few referees i can think of who are globally respected, even by fans. as others have said - communication is key as a referee. if you can respectfully articulate what you need to to players, you'll find they generally do the same in return.
it's also important to note that it isn't just his communication that is great - he is regarded as one of, if not the best rugby referees of all time. he refereed a record 100 international tests (which was the most at the time) and he refereed the world cup 2015 final between new zealand and australia (one of the great rivalries in world rugby). it's crazy to think now he still referees at club level in wales. it seems funny to think he's now refereeing at such a low level, but is just another sign of his love for the game and his humbleness.
He had the greatest respect for his mentor Mr Derek Bevan. Nigel and Derek the two best referees of all time.
The greatest most respected ref of all time
Love this man ,,,, hes like my father you get warned ,,, then told,,,, if you still persist..... YOU GET SPANKED 😂😂😂
The cell phone was because the line of communication between him and the Television Match Official (Replay review) had shorted out, Nigel called the TMO on his personal phone for a review as a result of the glitch.
A ref who I’d love to see in football ⚽️, Nigel Owens is absolutely fine example of a referee, the world of rugby 🏉 and Wales 🏴 should be so proud of him. Can only say great things about him.
There is, or was, the bald headed, Italian football referee, who has the same reputation as Mr Owens.
I feel sorry for refs - for the most part you only remember them when they've had a bad day at the office. The good ones, you don't notice. Nigel Owens is one of the rare exceptions to the rule. Best bit I know of Nigel Owens talking with players went something like: "listen lads, it's a good close game, and you got thousands of fans here and at home watching. It won't be as close if one side is down to 14 men. So don't upset your fans by annoying me, okay?", all delivered in that great Welsh accent.
Nigel Owens is the best rugby refree there is. Almost all the games he officiates is with no dispute.
I have lost count of the games I've watched that Nigel has reffed .... He is the 'bees knees' ....respected by all teams from around the world and bloody good at his job !
Nigel Owens absolute legend
I'm not even a rugby fan and I love Nigel Owens!
He’s like a nice school PE teacher.
Have you noticed that the players go to the ref? The ref doesn't chase the players, he stands still and they come to him! Like a naughty school boy 😅
How many times have i ref you ?YOU STILL DONT UNDERSTAND ME 😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂
Nigel Owens set an example which is unequalled, always will be worldwide in Rugby annals
We were SO fortunate to have him overseeing the sport of RF and underlining the spirit, respect and quality of the Game
What a fantastic breath of fresh air of authority, craftsmanship and skill
and amazing contributor to raising the spectacle and spectator value, the standard of this great Game of sport
~ the interaction between Officials and players
the understanding of
the relationship between
Sterling stuff
He set the benchmark uniquely, naturally and spontaneously:
always will be the case
Simply FANTASTIC NO‼️
Job excellently done
and standard set
a complete joie🥂
RESPECT‼️
🪖
Cricket and rugby have lost so many of the voices of the sports (McLaren " this one's cpming down with snow on top"). Nigel was a dying breed of character rather than sound bite and spin he just loves the game within the rules. His charactrer and love for the game are what I believe people respond to. Passion and spirit. What more do people want from sporting competition? Simply exemplary and a good man.
Nigel Owens worked his way up from being a regional referee to making himself the most indispensible referree in the world. I'm very annoyed as a Weslshman, that he never reffed our games.
Best ref ever. Never in doubt.
the man just loves and respects the game. gotta love him for it. best ref i have ever seen. tbf most rugby refs are good and i love the fact that you can hear what they are saying and that they (usually) make sense.
Not certain you two guys picked up on it, but when he blew up for a crooked line-out throw, He said " I'm straighter than that ", as he's openly gay. He confirmed it some years ago when as a guest on a Rugby TV show in his native Wales, he emerged from a wardrobe, mimicking the phrase, " coming out of the closet " A wonderfully warm man, whom I've had the privilege of meeting, he is universally admired throughout the game ...
Nigel loves the game and ref's accordingly, he wants a good flowing game.
When he was on the phone he was calling the video referee to review a play as the normal comms had broken down - that’s the real reason 😂
The guy in black at 10.01 is Alun Wyn Jones who was captain of Wales (Nigel's country) and the British and Irish Lions, and with more than 158 international games (a record), and highly respected around the world. It makes no difference to the way that Nigel refs the game
Weeks after Nigel Owens had taken charge of the World Cup final, he was refereeing an under 15s local Welsh final.!
Respect for the referee and your opponent is a corner stone of the game. Its there from the first days you play to professional and international matches. ☘️💚🇮🇪
Been mentioned, but will mention it again - he was on the phone to a match official in the stands because the radio/in-ear comms had broken.
"Hey. you gonna cheat, you cheat fair."
Great reaction fellas. The ref is God in rugby. Never mess with or disrespect the referee!
With the one about the charge down being voided (9ish minutes), it’s not because he celebrated blocking it (which would’ve been fine because it’s incredibly rare), it’s because he was shouting whilst trying to block it, which you’re not allowed to do.
You should see the second video of this, Nigel goes to Yellow Card a player, and finds out as he's moving that he forgot his cards. He just tells the guy. "I don't have my cards on me,but it's a Yellow Card, you're off."
in the middle of a fight i saw a game of rugby break out , this is y refs have to be in total control
Very true! Lol!
Nigel Owen was the best referee in modern Rugby. He was superb when he was dealing with International Test Games ( matches between countries). Sometimes these International Tests were explosive in pace and national pride.
Old rivalry surfaces for example England verus France and The All Blacks (New Zealand) verus "The Springboks (South Africa).
"soccer is a gentlemens game played by hooligans, rugby is a hooligan game played by gentlemen" sums it up.
In Rugby, it's forbidden to swear on the pitch (yellow card offence), that's why the ref can have a microphone. :)
We are taught respect for the game as young players.
As the old rugby adage goes: "The referee is the sole arbiter of time and fact", which is a very polite way of saying "STFU and listen to the ref."
Lmao makes sense 😂😂
Respect for the ref starts at day one in Rugby. There is also the threat that a decision can be reversed or an extra 10 yards lost for dissent. Wayne Barnes is another ref to watch, a similar respect for the game, but he famously provides a running commentary during the game, advising and explaining to players during play.
Yes. I don't remember it so much from when I played at school but 'Respect' is certainly one of the things being drilled into my son's youth team. Respect for the game, respect for your teammates, respect for the officials and respect for the opposition. As an example, a few weeks ago, partly due to some favourable circumstances, his team was beating the opposition so comfortably that they started getting cocky and saying to teammates who hadn't scored that they'd make sure they got a score. At the end, the coaches told them off for this as it was not respecting the other team.
Communication was down with the TMO (television match official) which was why Nigel was using the phone.
You can get a ref link at some of these marches so you can hear all the officials. Nigel was one of the few openly gay rugby refs/players, hence the “I’m straighter than that one” at the line out throw in. He is hugely respected by rugby players and fans alike. Homophobia also seems to be a soccer thing, like chat back and feigning injury. He’s an absolute star.
Christopher is a giant in the game of Welsh rugby but he could be a teenaged school child the way Nigel talks to him… but Nigel receives only respect … his punditry is fantastic too when he explains refereeing decisions …
Christopher is Chris Robshaw, former England captain. He's not Welsh in the least
Nigel isn’t a big fella either, but he can stand up to these giants with respect, which the guys respect him for.
Hi guys I have just seen your 10 minutes of Nigel Owen.
Fantastic watching.
I have only just retired from rugby at the age of 57 I started when I was 8 .
I can honestly say Nigel is a God of a Refs.
One of the best comments he says is I'm straighter than that I'm not sure if you are aware but Nigel is Gay 👍 he also said at one time I like your laces that's because the players were wearing rainbow ones .
It's a shame he's retired and gone back to be a farmer .
Miss you Nigel❤️
Nigel Owens is pretty much universally respected in the world of rugby union. Openly gay, he would often make funny comments about how straight the lines/put ins were, but he'd take no nonsense, no back chat, which is mercifully rare in rugby anyway.
Was just wandering through rugby videos, and found you guys. I'm delighted to find ya both, and Nigel's "You're straighter than me" He's gay, and one of the most open lgbt members of welsh rugby. Love you guys btw
Loved this reaction...cheers.
With regards to your comments about him being a father. He is gay and as of last year, him and his partner were in the process of adopting a child. With him being gay, now you can understand his ‘ I’m straighter than that one ‘ comment when the line out throw was skew. Great ref.
One of the best guys in the world of rugby.
Hilarious a conference of Zebras 🦓 brilliant analogy.
Too many Chefs spoil the broth.
First thing you learn in rugby - you'll never ever change a refs decision but you can influence his next decision. Be respectful, yes sir, no sir and keep the referees on side. Also, play to the whistle!
We were taught that as kids as well, atleast my generation, but along the line somewhere it got lost unfortunately. Sometimes it is deserving though and thats a whole other issue that i could write a novel about. never the less respect should always be expected unless you are treated with disrespect!
Thanks for your video. Another rugby ref you might be interested in is Wayne Barnes. He's not as funny as Nigel Owens but he takes no nonsense either and is very ananlytical in his refereeing which is great beause you can hear him going through his thought process and why he has come to the decision he has.
Also, my son has started to play American Football here in Ireland so I'm getting to know your game as well. As I get to understand the laws I'm really liking it and there are some great athletes playing the game. It would help if the refs were miked up so we could hear the process they go through to make decision though.
Yes sir... all you need to know about the respect
14:50 "Dive like that again and come back in two weeks" is because the match (part of the 2015 Rugby World Cup) was being played at Newcastle United Football Club's ground so it's another take on Nigel's famous "this isn't soccer" line.
From the first game you play as a youngster, the ref is called Sir (Mahm for a female ref). And you give them the respect they deserve
He loves the game and enjoys his job.
In rugby us normal players don't address the ref directly - we address him via our team captain, and the ref generally addresses matters of team discipline through the captain, hence Nigel telling the captions to "go and have a word". He would then keep the clock off until the word has been passed around the team. You will also notice the number of rugby players who address the ref as Sir - if we don't have respect it can get very dangerous.
Nigel is one of the very best examples of a referee who officiates fairly and with a sense of humour - he loves the gamer and wants it to always be played properly, fairly and safely - he is a complete legend of the sport.
Great referee clear firm and fare
I adore Nigel!! He's phenomenal, so gutted he retired because he was superb at his job!
I loved your reactions, good veiwing. Nigel Owens is gay and open about it. He is a great man that lives for his sport. He has now retired.
Nigel Is The Greatest
This is how i would like football (soccer) to do, talk to the players
Great show
I’ve met Nigel, he is a Wonderful man