Nigel Owens: 'I'm wondering if rugby has lost its way'
Nigel Owens, a legendary referee who has hung up his whistle, remains deeply involved in the sport as a pundit on Welsh television and a YouTube host of 'Whistle Watch for World Rugby'. Despite his retirement, he still questions the state of the game.
Owens, known for his clear and common-sense approach to refereeing, is now uncertain about the decisions being made. He notes that even he, as a retired referee, struggles to predict the outcomes of certain plays. This uncertainty is causing confusion among players and fans alike.
"People are saying to me, 'I didn’t expect that decision. I expected that to be a straight red'. But it wasn’t given. Or I’m saying, 'that’s not a straight red'. But they gave a straight red," he says. "Even as a referee, although I’ve retired a couple of years, I’m just thinking, 'I don’t know what to expect here'. And that shouldn’t be happening."
Owens believes that rugby needs to simplify its rules and decision-making processes to maintain its integrity. He argues that the sport's complexity is leading to inconsistent and unfair outcomes, especially at the grassroots level.
"So, they really need to grasp this pretty quickly and somehow get rid of all these layers and layers and layers and just get back to being as simple as you possibly can for, to be fair, a complex game," he says.
Despite his concerns, Owens remains a popular figure in the rugby world. He is often invited to speak at events and share his extensive knowledge and experience of the game.
One of his key messages is the importance of inclusivity and respect in rugby. He believes that the sport's values should be upheld at all levels, starting from the top.
"It’s Catch 22, you’ve got to show a clear message at the top but you’ve also got to show the clear message at the bottom because that’s when that difficult journey will start," he says.
Owens fears that rugby is losing its way, especially in its handling of issues such as racist abuse and player behavior. He believes that the sport needs to send a strong message and set a standard for players and fans alike.
"When there have been issues in rugby — whatever they could be — racist abuse of a player, referee abuse, whatever the issues are, where rugby has sort of led the way, it’s dealt with them. In football, you can see the players swearing at the referee but then nothing seems to be done about it. Now if it happened in rugby, it would be dealt with," he says.
Owens also criticizes the over-reliance on technology in rugby, arguing that it is making the game more difficult and inconsistent. He believes that the sport needs to strike a balance between technology and human judgment.
"For somebody who refereed from when technology was being used just for goal-line offences and nothing else to where it is now ... I always said that the more you bring technology into the game, the more difficult you’re going to make it for yourself," he says.
Owens also addresses the issue of scrummaging, which he believes is being undermined by inconsistent refereeing decisions. He suggests that small changes can improve the scrum and make it more integral to the game.
"Scrums should never be the most important part, but they still need to be integral," he says. "Otherwise, where are the likes of Adam Jones, Tadhg Furlong, John Hayes going to play? They can’t play anywhere else — their body shape doesn’t suit other positions."
Despite his concerns, Owens remains a passionate advocate for rugby and believes that the sport can still lead the way in addressing its challenges.
