My big secret? I’m really a stand-up comedian SAYS NIGEL OWENS
NIGEL OWENS does a bit of stand-up comedy in his spare time, as well as after-dinner speaking, and one can imagine him being quite funny.
The Welsh referee, considered among the finest in world rugby, was amusing in his response to being flattened by Jimmy Cowan a few years ago. ‘Try going past me next time,’ he remarked, after eventually returning to his feet, even though he knew full well that he, and not the New Zealand scrum-half, was at fault.
It was entertaining to listen to him this week as he reflected on a hugely impressive performance at Twickenham last Saturday.
Television viewers were struck by the manner in which he handled the players during an extraordinary game that occasionally became bad-tempered.
He defused certain situations beautifully, even addressing individuals by their full Christian names to exert some authority. Chris Robshaw became ‘Christopher’, with Owens praising the England skipper and his opposite number for playing some marvellous rugby while ordering them to cut out the nonsense. It worked — players addressed him as ‘sir’.
Rugby players generally tend to respect referees rather more than their footballing counterparts but Owens, 43, commands more respect than most.
When he was the victim of homophobic chanting at Twickenham last autumn — two England fans were fined and banned f or abusing Owens for being gay — he received messages of support f r om players far and wide.
And when he once asked Ronan O’Gara to sign a copy of his autobiography for his father, the then Ireland fly-half wished Geraint Owens a happy Christmas, but also added how proud he should be of his son.
He will go up in the estimation of most for the way he handled a situation only this week. The victim of a homophobic tweet after l ast weekend’s Six Nations match, Owens agreed to travel to Carmarthen Police Station to meet the 18-year-old from Cynwyl Elfed who had abused him.
As part of an agreed Adult Community Resolution — an alternative way of resolving crimes that allows victims to be involved in deciding how the offender can be dealt with by choosing from a list of out- of-court options — Owens accepted what he described as ‘a profound apology’ and let the matter rest.
‘It’s like refereeing a game of rugby,’ said Owens, who officiated Glasgow Warriors’ clash at Leinster last night. ‘You can’t referee in black and white. There is an awful lot of grey and you have to apply a bit of common sense. This young man was genuinely remorseful for something he accepts was stupid. He apologised to me publicly online. And he was profoundly apologetic yesterday.
‘He could have been left with a criminal record but I saw no point in that on this occasion. The key thing is to get the message out there that it’s not acceptable to insult someone in that way.
‘I have learned to handle this kind of abuse. But there will be people out there who are struggling the way I once did and they will find it extremely hurtful. This is about protecting them.’
Getting the key decisions right is how a referee is ultimately judged but players seem to like Owens’ style.
‘Until someone said it to me, I hadn’t realised I’d called Robshaw “Christopher”,’ he says. ‘I suppose you could see it as a device that makes clear to someone you’re not entirely happy with them.
‘It might be the way a teacher addresses a pupil; I did work as a technician at a school for a number of years and also with kids in youth clubs.
‘I learned from Derek Bevan, a great referee, and I think the secret is to be authoritative, firm and fair but not over-officious.
‘If you show the players respect, they tend to respect you. And sometimes you can defuse a situation with a smile or a quick bit of wit. That’s probably where comedy comes in handy. I’ve been doing stand-up since I was 14.’
Rugby is his first love, but Owens follows football too and he takes an interest in some of the issues currently concerning referees in the round-ball game. The crowding of referees is a particular concern, while there is growing pressure to introduce video technology.
‘I certainly don’t think you can officiate at the top level in rugby without the technology that helps you get the key decisions right,’ he says. ‘That’s what we want to achieve across all sports.
‘It’s still not perfect. Even with a video replay, mistakes can still be made. But it’s something I feel football would benefit from.’ Respect is the other issue. ‘Only if you are very naive would you say football doesn’t have an issue with respect,’ says Owens. ‘But rugby shouldn’t take the moral high ground ei t her because I’ve seen problems in our sport too. I’ve seen referees being pushed in grassroots games and so on.
‘Ultimately it’s a problem in society, although football has to recognise it can influence how young people behave.’