Referee Nigel Owens found himself at the centre of some controversy this week, with Luke Fitzgerald criticising Owens' penchant for witty rejoinders in the heat of action, with the former Leinster and Ireland winger telling Independent.ie that he believes " those kind of things are disappointing and it's disrespectful to the players who are putting in a huge amount of effort".
Owens responded to deny that these put-downs are deliberate on his part:
The game is about the players not the ref. I didn't say a witty thing or a put down. I just explained why advantage was over. Nothing more https://t.co/NtwxjIXNyz
— Nigel Owens MBE (@Nigelrefowens) April 10, 2017
Owens has since responded once again via the medium of a web chat with the good folk at Wales Online.
One reader asked Owens whether he prepared his one-liners, which we will agree was a pretty loaded question given the context of the last couple of days. The referee responded thusly:
I honestly have never prepared any one-liners or quotes to say in a game. All I do is referee the game which is what I’m there to do, and just say it as it is. My job is to referee the game and nothing else. I have the utmost respect for every player on that field and do not say things to belittle them or to have a laugh at their expense. On the weekend one ex-player suggested that I shouldn’t be saying witty comments. Explaining to the captain why advantage was over was what my job is as a referee. I did not see anything witty or disrespectful in what I said. I am a human being and I am just being myself.
Amid the deluge of questions, Owens was then asked to name the funniest player he refereed during his career. His answer is Munster legend Peter Clohessy:
I refereed Peter Clohessy during his last season. He was a character. The first six scums collapsed in the game, both packs of forwards were blaming each other and having their say, so I blew the whistle and said: “Hang on now boys, there are about 16 referees on this field at the moment.” And Clohessy said: “Yes, and you’re not one of them!” Everyone laughed, as did I, and that is why humour must never be lost in our game.
You can read the full Q and A on the Wales Online website, here.
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