Newcastle Falcons sneak it at the end against Sale Sharks as Toby Flood's try wins it with the final play at Kingston Park.
Retiring Nigel Owens selects the FIVE best players he refereed
Owens, who named his all-time dream team a few years back, also selected five players for extra praise.
1. Sergio Parisse (Italy)
"I’ve been fortunate to have refereed some tremendous No.8s during my career but Sergio is tops. He’s such a talented player and rarely has a bad game."
2. Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
"Quite simply he was just an exceptional leader. I have been in charge of games where he pretty much carried his team, whether it was Munster or Ireland, almost on his back and onto victory."
3. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
"A man of few words, he does his talking on the field with his actions. Not only is he a brilliant player and a very good captain but I don’t think I have reffed a match where he hasn’t given absolutely everything."
4. Phil Vickery (England)
"I always had a lot of time for him, found him a decent man, a great player to referee. He wasn’t one of those who would whinge at decisions, he would accept the call and get on with it. Such a good scrummager."
5. Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
"If anybody had to pick the greatest player in history, it would surely be a difficult choice between him and Gareth Edwards."
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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