Popular Welsh referee Nigel Owens has revealed a lovely gesture by England Following the 2020 Six Nations opener.
Owens had been subject to some vile criticism online from ‘so-called England fans’ online following Eddie Jones’ sides lacklustre defeat against France in Paris.
He responded to some of the comments, receiving wide applause from the rugby world for putting the trolls in their place.
Another brave twitter keyboard warrior deletes his tweets and runs to hide behind the soffa when they are called out on social media. Think before your tweet next time pal. pic.twitter.com/w5g2asSaK6
— Nigel Owens MBE (@Nigelrefowens) February 7, 2020
And in his brilliant column for Wales Online, the referee revealed how the stance from Owen Farrell and his teammates couldn’t have been much different.
The England captain presented him with an England jersey with the number 98 on the back. It was Owens’ 98th Test and could be his last in the Six Nations.
“It was such a touching gesture from Farrell and his team,” wrote Owens.
Class act from England.
LIST | 5 of Nigel Owens most BRUTAL comebacks:
We’ve collected some of the best comebacks from popular Welsh referee Nigel Owens down the years…
1. “This is not soccer”
First we begin with what is probably Owens’ most famous quote. It has become a world-wide favourite for rugby fans. As everyone knows, scrum-halves are renowned for their complaining and whining, and referees seem to tolerate it.However in 2012, Owens was the whistle-blower in a RaboDirect PRO12 match between Munster and Bennetton Treviso when Treviso scrum-half Tobias Botes began complaining that the Munster captain Paul O’Connell wasn’t releasing at the ruck. Nigel calls him over… and after a long lecture… ends with “This is not soccer”. Class.