Coupled, of course, with those epic on-pitch lectures to players which ended up becoming social media sensations. 'This Is Not Soccer', a dressing down given to 22-times capped Italian player Tobias Botes who was showing dissent, is the most famous of the lot. The slogan actually appears on the front cover of the book. Martyn, Geraint and Gats hadn’t been aware of my situation. Once they were, to be fair, they acted decisively on my behalf. I will always be grateful for that. As for his biggest rugby regret, that didn't come in one of the many high-profile matches Owens took charge of, but actually in a Welsh Schools under-18s game when he sent off a Gowerton youngster when matters got out of hand between the teams.

A European Cup game at The Stoop between Robshaw’s Harlequins and Castres. A lineout throw from Quins hooker Dave Ward is so crooked it’s caught by team-mate Robshaw almost in the scrum-half position. Apparently, Gats had gone straight in the following day after the dinner to say he wasn’t sure what was going on, ‘But you need to give Nige a new contract and give it to him right now. You need to hold on to your best referee, not just for the next World Cup but also so that he can work with and coach future referees after he’s finished.’ On behalf of all the staff at Gilead, we would like to thank you for such an inspiring webinar today. The messages we have received have been overwhelming. We had just over 200 on the call (some were watching from a large screen in our meeting room). Thank you so much for your time and I wish you all the best in the future" - Donna, HR Business Partner, Gilead Given I simply spoke in that manner because I wanted Robshaw to accept my decision as the referee, which in the end he did, I was startled at the fallout as it went viral once more. People in England seem to love it, they bring me photographs of a husband, brother, uncle, cousin, or mate called Chris and ask me to sign it, Err, Christopher’ so they can give it as a present to their loved ones. I’ve even had some asking for me to pretend to dish out a red card whilst saying ‘Err Christopher’, so they can video it. Nigel refereed at his fourth consecutive Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019. Welsh Rugby Referee Nigel Owens Quotes – Top 5We detail here just a small section of some of the ones Owens writes about in his new book: This is not soccer Then, of course, as mentioned, I’m also employed by the WRU as a referee coach, coaching the likes of Craig Evans and Ben Breakspear, while I also head up the academy and I’m involved with the URC as well. The WRU is my priority, so I’ve got to think, how that would work if the next step was to happen? Right now, I don’t know. In December 2020 – as the most-capped referee in world rugby, Nigel brought his 17-year international career to an end. The November 2020 France v Italy Autumn Nations Cup game was his 100th and final Test match. Broadcast and Media

Nigel Owens co-presents S4C’s ‘ Jonathan’– the rugby-themed Welsh language show hosted by Jonathan Davies.

Feedback From In-Person Events

A few hours later, I saw online what I expect most of you will have seen by now all over social media and in the press. It was reported, first in South Africa and then in the UK and across the world, that the Springboks want me to join their coaching team ahead of this year’s World Cup.