Article: RWC 2015 Referee - Nigel Owens

[Robert Burns]

You can view the page at http://www.rugbyrefs.com/content.php...ee-Nigel-Owens

[MrQeu]

I would have started the article with "you may have never met him before but..."

[Richard smith]

Have great memories of watching Nigel referee a European cup Quarter final a few years back.. the game was Edinburgh V Toulouse at Murrayfield.
I spent 80 minutes watching the referee

[L'irlandais]

Another quiet word from Nigel Owens, this time to Simon Zebo.

[crossref]

I don't like this, it seems to me it's beyond the referee's power.

Zebo was taken by surprise, the next player might refuse to apologise, what would NO do then?

[Flish]

Is it beyond the refs power? If players are acting in any way that’s liable to create a negative reaction or future flash point in the game and you have an opportunity to manage it then I say go for it, makes your life easier, makes the game better

[crossref]

Is it beyond the refs power? If players are acting in any way that’s liable to create a negative reaction or future flash point in the game and you have an opportunity to manage it then I say go for it, makes your life easier, makes the game better

Normally manage it means telling them don't do it again. Then - if they do it again - you PK them


In this case he ordered Zebo to make an apology.
1 - the ref doesn't have the power to force him to do this
2 - so, then, what's he going to do if Zebo says no he'd rather not ? Disallow the try?

[Flish]

*shrug* then he risks being in the refs bad books the rest of the game. I gave two players a lecture, told them to stop dicking about off the ball and suggested they shake hands and crack on today, it worked, no stronger sanctions needed, I didn’t have the power to make them do it, but they knew they were in the wrong and that it was the right thing to do, and in the overall spirit of that game. They could have refused, but chose not to.

[crossref]

I think that telling players to shake hands, or telling players to apologise is treating them as children.
You may get away with it, but they won't like you for it, and I don't think that's a safe way of 'managing it', it could backfire

[Flish]

They were acting like children, and they knew it - judge the situation in front of you on it’s merits, there are times it’ll work and times it won’t, don’t think NO was wrong in this case, and someone needs to police the respect on the pitch as these players are supposed to be an example to others, ie the children.