The World Cup Final – 2015

Welshman Owens has been at the top of his game for many a year now and, as he prepares for the final-four clash this weekend, he has plenty of experience at the sharp end, marshalling the final in 2015.

An excellent memory because it was a great final, refereed to perfection, and Nigel was moved after the final whistle when Australia’s David Pocock and New Zealand’s Jerome Kaino thanked him before commiserating and celebrating with their respective teams.

The one-liners – Forever

Rugby of course is richer for a series of fine one-liners delivered to players in Nigel’s firm style.

“If you’re going to cheat, you cheat fair,” he told Barbarians half-back Andy Ellis after a crooked scrum feed against New Zealand.

“If you don’t like to scrummage you’re in the wrong position,” he once told the front rows of Munster and Toulouse.

“Dive like that again and come back here in two weeks and play, not today,” he warned Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg at Newcastle’s football stadium, St James’ Park, at Rugby World Cup 2015.

Nigel does not like football – 2012, and always

Bit of a recurring theme here and Nigel has previous on this one too – he does not appear to like football, or soccer, whatever you want to call it.

Going way back to 2012 and on this occasion it was Benetton’s Tobias Botes getting a telling off, with Owens telling the half-back to stop shouting at him: “This is not soccer.”

Players tend to forget that on occasion it seems, as this reminder to sheepish Ellis Jenkins and John Muldoon shows in 2016.