Sport Comment: It’s official: ref Owens is the best
TIME was when you’d leave a big match, turn to a mate and ask who the referee was, and nobody would have a clue. They were facilitators, not the most important name on the team sheet. The cult of the celebrity official is one of the scourges of modern sport. When did anyone ever buy a ticket to go and watch a man with a whistle?
But then there’s Nigel Owens, whose brilliant handling of a pulsating Six Nations match in Paris made it such a spectacle. Authoritative and sympathetic in equal measure; a lecture here and a knowing look there, and every player clear about how far they can push it. When Yoann Huget and Mike Brown squared up like rutting deer, he calmly told them to stop being so immature. Brown’s face was that of a fourth year who’d been told off for handing in late homework.
Owen’s calling cards are droll wit and decisiveness. He famously summoned a stroppy Italian international with the words “Hello, I don’t think we’ve met but I’m the referee.” His style leaves you yearning for the day when Howard Webb has the courage to say to Ashley Young after another swallow dive: “You’re not Tom Daley, stop auditioning for Splash.”
Owens dominates the stage, yet leaves it to the real players. On a day when France finally exhibited signs of recovery but England showed immense promise, it was a Welshman who enabled the watching millions to savour an epic start to this year’s championship.