Nigel Owens is a fantastic referee. As every ardent rugby fan will surely agree, one cannot help but release an audible sigh of relief when finding that their highly-anticipated ‘big game’ is in fact going to be refereed by the Welsh wonder and not some less pleasing aficionado (*cough* Wayne Barnes *cough* Jérôme Garcès). Owens has often been lauded as a referee who understands both the bewildering free-for-all that is the modern professional scrum, as well as the players around him.
He has a keen sensibility for handling the adrenaline-addled behemoths that populate the rugby field (as is clearly evident after a quick google of either ‘Nigel Owens Christopher’ or ‘Nigel Owens Stuart Hogg’) and it is this understanding that allows for some of the most entertaining games of rugby in recent memory. Players know where they stand with Owens and so the whole game is not wasted on endless infringements and silly penalties, but rather enjoyed by players who are competitively toeing the metaphorical line set by a firm yet empathetic referee. It is no wonder then that he was picked as the referee for the final of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Nigel Owens is indeed a fantastic referee. And so much more.
In 2007 Owens came out as a homosexual, having battled with self-acceptance for numerous troubled years. The Welshman has admitted in past interviews to having considered chemical castration whilst struggling with his sexual identity and states that he simply “didn’t want to be gay”. After a failed suicide attempt when he was 26-years-old, Nigel was finally forced to come to terms with who he was and begin the challenging process of ending years of denial – something that he claims was “the biggest challenge of [his] life”. Now at the age of 44, Nigel Owens is a crucial ambassador for both homosexuality in sport and for Rugby Union as a whole. He is a frequent collaborator on the Welsh language rugby-themed programme Jonathon, a notable patron of the ‘Bullies Out’ charity, and also hosts his own chat show, Munud i Fynd – all of which ensures he remains a prominent public figure.
The significance of Nigel Owens’ prominence both on and off the field cannot be understated. For such a typically masculine sport as Rugby Union to have an openly gay man as such a crucial and adored figure of the modern game (with 95% in a recent online poll for The Telegraph agreeing that he is the best referee in the world) is a huge step in the right direction. Let us not forget, that it is only as recent as 2009 that Gareth Thomas became the first openly gay professional rugby player in history. Hopefully, with figures such as Nigel Owens continuing to make such a positive impact, it will not be long before rugby is recognised as a diverse, inclusive sport for people from any walk of life.
James Candler
Featured image: The Huffington Post