Rugby and football are different games. As such, we're going to sit firmly on the fence when it comes to trying to explain why one is superior to the other. However, having said that, it would be fair to say that there's a few aspects of rugby that many football fans would like to see moving into the round ball game.
Chief among those aspects is the respect shown to referees. That's not something that everyone would agree with but plenty have pointed out that football could learn a thing or two about the way in which the likes of Nigel Owens referee the game.
Whether we will ever see that is up for debate but Owens himself would at least like to give it a go. The Welsh referee is often cited as the best the rugby world has to offer and speaking to the Radio Times he has decided to get a bit of a debate going.
Owens has suggested that the likes of Jose Mourinho are essentially given free reign of things when it comes to abusing referees and speaking their minds.
If you had coaches in rugby having a go at referees like Jose Mourinho and some others do, they'd be dealt with more firmly.
The Chelsea manager was fined £25,000 earlier this year for one of his many outbursts against the officials but considering the money involved in the game, it's easy to see why that may not be particularly effective. For his part, Owens has said that he would 'love' the chance to referee a high profile football match if only for the fact that they'd be 'down to five-a-side before half-time' if rugby-esque rules were enforced.
[BBC]
