"People really need to stop" - Nigel Owens shocked by response to Charlie Ewels red card

Ewels was dismissed with just 82 seconds on the clock after clashing heads with James Ryan in an attempted tackle.

"When I saw the replay of Charlie Ewels’ tackle on James Ryan I thought this is red straight away," wrote Nigel Owens his column for The Telegraph.

"People really need to stop questioning referees now or saying the red card spoils the game - it didn’t spoil the game at all.

"They need to start thinking players need to know you can’t go in upright making a tackle. If you get it wrong, you will get sent off, but worse than that you could injure an opponent who has to leave the field of play. 

"That’s what people should be looking at and everyone should be saying ‘come on players, come on coaches, make an attempt to get these tackles down so we avoid this type of action’.

Owens said: Some people will be surprised at this one to start off. His misfortune was perhaps to be leading England during a difficult time, but he always gave everything for the cause, encouraging others to follow suit, and he was a nice guy off the pitch."

Owens said: "He was not only a great rugby player but also a great leader and a great man. Whenever I came across him on the field, he impressed me."

Owens said: "He’s right up on any list of rugby’s greatest players.

"Maybe he will be at the top for many people.

"New Zealand won something like nine out of every 10 games in which he led them, but the mark of Richie McCaw was how he conducted himself when the All Blacks lost."

Owens said: "I’m classing this as a joint-ticket as whenever I seemed to ref Ireland in their day O’Driscoll was captain and O’Connell was vice-skipper.

"O’Driscoll actually used to tell me if there were issues with the forwards then I should chat to O’Connell.

I found them excellent to deal with."

Owens said: "My choice as the best skipper I encountered may raise a few eyebrows, but what a captain Dusautoir was. He unfailingly put his body on the line throughout his career — recall the 38 tackles he made when France knocked the All Blacks out of the 2007 World Cup — led by example and understood the game very well."