Nigel Owens, a former Welsh referee who retired from officiating at the Test level in 2020, has taken the opportunity to reflect on the best and worst players he encountered during his career.
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Despite his busy schedule managing his farm, Owens remains engaged in the rugby community, lending his expertise as a pundit and appearing in video features for prominent platforms such as the BBC, Amazon Prime, and World Rugby.
While he no longer referees professional club games, his last match in that capacity was a centenary fixture between Trimsaran and Llanelli, which took place in March of this year.
Arguably, the three worst players to deal with these days are Owen Farrell, Dan Biggar and Johnny Sexton.
Owens has had his say on all three, ranking them from worst to best.
#3. Owen Farrell (England)
Nigel Owens said: "I can only speak from my own experience of refereeing him and, when I did, he was an excellent captain to deal with.
"I have a huge amount of respect for him as a player and a person. He always knew where the line was with me.
"I would say to him that he could always come and talk to me as long as it was at the right time and in the right tone and he always did that."
#2. Dan Biggar (Wales)
Owens said: "Oh god yes. He's so focused and so passionate about what he's doing, we've had a few run ins on the pitch down the years.
"I mean, it's always been in a respectful way as we always have a drink and a laugh after the game."
Dan Biggar of Northampton Saints kicks the penalty to take the lead during the European Champions Cup, Quarter-final match between Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints at Sandy Park on 20 Sept 2020. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK.
#1. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
Owens on Sexton and Biggar: “I’ll tell you what, they’re probably the best two referees in the world, Dan Biggar and Johnny Sexton, because when you ref them they always think they know more than you!”
Andy Farrell, Head Coach of Ireland and Johnny Sexton, Captain of Ireland pose with the Guinness Six Nations trophy during the 2023 Guinness Six Nations Media Launch at County Hall, Lambeth, London on Monday 23rd January 2023 | Photo: James Fearn/PPAUK.
Owens also named the referee who would make the best player, as well as the referee who would make the worst player.
“Which referee fancies themselves as the best player? Well, that would be Nic Berry, because he played at the top level for Wasps and [Racing 92] as a very, very talented scrum-half and a very talented referee as well,” Owens said.
“I’ll tell you which referee wouldn’t make a talented player – Wayne Barnes!”
