Nigel Owens was an international referee for 17 years and during that time encountered some challenging England players as he names the five which he never enjoyed officiating.
Here is what the former top referee told The Daily Mail and a Q&A fo Wales Online about the five worst England players he had to deal with in his career.
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#4. Maro Itoje
OWENS SAID: “Itoje is someone who plays right on the edge. That is what makes him such a great player. He must be so difficult to play against but he’s also difficult to referee and I mean that with the utmost respect.
“He plays with passion and on the line. It is difficult to tell Itoje not to bring the same confrontation and aggression to the game that he usually does. It would take away from his game.
“You don’t want him to change the way he plays but he needs to pick and choose when he gambles on the situation and when he doesn’t. And understand better those moments when you are under pressure and knowing when, if you take a risk and get it wrong, you will land your team in real trouble.”
