"Incredibly excited" - Nigel Owens set to become a dad with his long-term partner

Sunday, 19 October 2025 at 08:20

byRugby Rucker

Welsh rugby legend Nigel Owens has revealed he’s set to take on a brand-new role — as a dad.

The iconic former referee, who took charge of the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final, confirmed that he and his partner Barrie Jones-Davies are in the final stages of the adoption process, describing the news as “hugely exciting” and “a little nerve-wracking.”

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“There’s not too much I can say at the moment about the process itself, but we are both incredibly excited,” said Owens.

“It’s something that we’ve spoken about for a few years now and it’s taken a while to get here, but now that it’s happening we can’t wait — although I must admit it’s also a little nerve-wracking.”

Owens, 53, said the couple — who live together on their farm in the Gwendraeth Valley — have long dreamed of starting a family, and that the time now feels right.

“There’s No Bigger Commitment Than Raising a Child”

The former referee also explained that his decision to turn down a recent professional offer was directly linked to his family plans.

“As any parent will tell you, there’s no bigger commitment than raising a child, so that was obviously the main reason why I decided against the South Africa job in the end,” he said.
“I couldn’t, nor would I want to, go away for the next six months with this happening.”

Owens had been approached about a high-profile refereeing and coaching role with the South African Rugby Union but said family comes first.

Life After Rugby

Since retiring from international refereeing in 2020, Owens has kept busy — farming, media work, charity projects, and punditry — but he’s made no secret of wanting a quieter, more family-focused life.

Back when he retired, he said:

“I have a commitment to my partner as well… maybe start a family. It’s something myself and my partner are discussing… we’ll see how things pan out, whether we go down the surrogacy route or adoption route.”

Now, just a few years later, that dream is becoming reality.

An Inspirational Journey

Owens’ story has long been one of courage and authenticity. Born in Mynyddcerrig near Cross Hands, he began refereeing in 1987 and became one of the Welsh Rugby Union’s first three professional referees in 2001. He went on to oversee more than 100 Test matches and earned an MBE in 2016 for services to sport.

He also made headlines off the field — coming out publicly as gay in 2007 and speaking honestly about his struggles with bulimia and mental health.

“The biggest challenge I’ve ever come across in my life was accepting who I was,” he once said.
“Unless you are happy with who you are, you cannot excel and be the best you can be at whatever you are doing. You cannot enjoy life if you are not happy within yourself.”

What’s Next for Nigel and Barrie

With the adoption process nearing completion, the couple are now preparing for the next big adventure — parenthood.

Owens says the prospect feels just as life-changing as any moment on the rugby field.

“It’s a huge commitment, but it’s something we’ve wanted for a long time. We feel ready, and we can’t wait to welcome a child into our lives.”

From the World Cup Final to Family Life

From refereeing the world’s biggest matches to preparing bottles and bedtime stories, this new chapter shows a different side of one of rugby’s most respected figures.

As ever, Nigel Owens continues to inspire — with honesty, humility and heart.

Congratulations to Nigel and Barrie on the start of their greatest adventure yet.

“Goodbye, caterpillar ruck” – Five more rugby law changes for 2026

Rugby has always balanced its proud traditions with the need to evolve. Yet, as the modern game grows faster, stronger, and more strategic, some long-standing laws may no longer serve their original purpose as effectively.

Rather than changing rugby’s essence, revisiting a few key rules could make the sport fairer, safer, and even more thrilling to watch.

n this piece, we spotlight four specific laws that deserve reconsideration—proposed not out of criticism, but from a deep respect for the game and a passion to see it continue to thrive for players and fans alike.

World Rugby has shown a readiness to adapt in recent years—these ideas could mark the next step in that ongoing evolution.

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1. No more draws

Rugby is one of the most thrilling sports in the world, but draws often leave players and fans frustrated. After 80 minutes of hard-fought action, neither team winning can feel unsatisfying and anticlimactic. Introducing golden point—where the first score in extra time wins—would give matches a clear, decisive ending.

Golden point also encourages attacking rugby. Teams would be pushed to take risks, go for tries, or attempt drop goals rather than playing safe for a draw. Every possession would matter even more, and fans would be treated to the kind of high-stakes drama that other sports, like rugby league and AFL, have long enjoyed.

It would make competitions simpler and fairer too. League tables, knockout tournaments, and international fixtures often rely on tiebreakers to separate teams after draws. Golden point ensures there’s always a winner on the scoreboard, rewarding performance rather than chance or points difference.

Player welfare concerns can be managed by limiting extra time to short bursts—say two five-minute halves or a first-score-wins rule within 10 minutes—keeping the game exciting without overtaxing athletes.

Golden point wouldn’t just make rugby more exciting—it would make it fairer, more competitive, and in tune with the modern expectation that every game should have a winner. With more tight contests in both club and international rugby, there’s never been a better time to adopt it.

2. Fewer Substitutions

Rugby has changed significantly over the years, and one of the biggest shifts is how the bench is used. These days, teams often bring on almost an entirely new forward pack late in the game. Big, fresh players crash into tired defenders, making the final 20 minutes less about skill and endurance, and more about brute force. Many fans and former players feel this has turned rugby into a collision sport rather than a contest of stamina and intelligence.

Reducing the number of substitutions would encourage players to pace themselves. Space would open up in the second half, creating more opportunities for creative play rather than endless phases of pick-and-go. It would reward fitness, smart decision-making, and those capable of performing for the full 80 minutes.

Fewer substitutions wouldn’t just make the game more exciting—it would make it fairer, safer, and more in line with the spirit of what rugby has always been about.

With the rise of 6–2 and even 7–1 bench splits, pioneered by Rassie Erasmus, the trend seems to be heading in the opposite direction. That’s all the more reason to act now.

2. Scrap the Caterpillar Ruck

The caterpillar ruck is one of those tactics that, while legal, just doesn’t sit right with many who love the game. It involves players lining up behind a ruck in a queue, giving the scrum-half extra time and space to kick.

It slows the game to a crawl, gives the defence no real chance to compete, and often feels more like a way to kill momentum than build it.

It may be clever, but it’s not entertaining. Fans want to see fast, hard-fought rugby—not box-kick after box-kick with a queue of bodies shielding the kicker. Eliminating or limiting the caterpillar ruck would speed up the game and reintroduce unpredictability at the breakdown.

This isn’t about removing strategy. It’s about keeping the game flowing and true to what makes rugby exciting: dynamic, contested play.

Referees have improved at calling “use it” earlier, which helps speed things up, but more needs to be done. Getting rid of the caterpillar ruck would go a long way toward fixing the issue.

3. Remove the 20-Minute Red Card

The 20-minute red card was introduced as a middle ground—punishing dangerous play without completely ruining a match. But let’s be honest: it sends the wrong message. If a player commits a reckless or dangerous act, 20 minutes off the field doesn’t always feel like enough—especially for serious offenses, like a high tackle that could end an opponent’s game or season.

Rugby has made major strides in protecting players, especially around the head and neck. Keeping the full red card—where the offending team plays a man down for the rest of the match—reaffirms that commitment. It makes the consequences clear: cross the line, and your team suffers. That’s how you change behaviour.

Yes, it’s tough. Sometimes it may seem harsh. But safety must come first. It’s about respecting the game and the long-term health of every player on the field.

In many ways, the 20-minute red gives officials a cop-out. It’s often seen as the easy option to avoid controversy—even when a full red card is justified.

4. Outlaw the Lineout Maul

Few things in rugby divide opinion quite like the driving maul from a lineout. For some, it’s a show of power and coordination. But for many fans, it feels like a loophole — a near-guaranteed way to score that sucks the creativity and unpredictability out of the game.

A well-drilled pack can set up a maul five metres out, trundle forward almost unstoppably, and fall over the line for a try. Where’s the skill in that? It’s become rugby’s cheat code — more about physics and numbers than ingenuity or flair.

Outlawing the maul as a direct scoring weapon would open the game up. Instead of endless rolling rucks towards the try-line, teams would need to find inventive ways to use space, pass under pressure, or outsmart the defence. That’s what gets fans on their feet.

Defenders, too, would benefit. At the moment, they’re often left with little option but to illegally collapse a maul, leading to a penalty or yellow card. Take away the automatic try-machine, and we’d see fewer cynical infringements, less frustration, and a fairer contest.

The maul will always have a place as a tactical tool in the middle of the pitch — but when it’s allowed to dominate the scoreboard, it turns rugby into something it was never meant to be.

QUIZ: Can you name these 10 England one-cap wonders…

This quiz challenges you to identify 10 players who earned the rare distinction of making just one appearance for the England rugby team.

These "one-cap wonders" might have been on the brink of a promising international career, unlucky with competition in their position, or simply never got another chance after their debut.

Test your knowledge and see if you can remember these players who had their brief moment in the England jersey!

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