REFEREE Nigel Owens is set to become the most experienced referee of all time when he takes charge of a match on June 11.
Owens, who refereed the World Cup Final at Twickenham in October 2015, is lined up as the man in the middle for a test between Fiji and Tonga in the summer.
Refereeing that match will mean he will have officiated in 71 tests, one more than South Africa’s Jonathan Kaplan.
Owens, who hails from Mynyddcerrig, near Cross Hands, took charge of his first test in 2003 in a game between Portugal and Georgia and since then, he has become one of World Rugby’s most respected referees.
He has travelled to numerous places across the world including Cardiff, Christchurch and Kingstown and his latest test takes him to Suva in Fiji.
As well as the World Cup, Owens has also taken charge of Six Nations and the European Cup and was also named the best referee in 2015.
Nigel has described each time taking to the field as a referee as an honour and says he will prepare for the upcoming match the same way he always does.
On Twitter, Nigel thanked those for their kind messages on hearing the news and added: “I would not have achieved this without the support of so many. Especially WRU & WR.”
Owens will also take charge of his 72nd test 14 days later when he takes charge of the third and final Test between England and Australia in Sydney on June 25.
Add Comment