Springboks want to hire Nigel Owens ahead of RWC - report
The Springboks are reportedly set to make a bid to hire retired referee Nigel Owens to come and consult for the team ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.
Head coach Jacques Nienaber and director of rugby Rassie Erasmus are apparently looking to use Owens' refereeing knowledge to give them an edge at the tournament, mirroring France head coach Fabien Galthie's hiring of Jerome Garces.
According to South African news outlet City Press, the Boks have identified Nigel Owens as their frontrunner for the role of refereeing consultant.
According to the newspaper, if Owens is unwilling or unable to take up the offer the Springboks will "likely to look for assistance from within their own country, with no date yet confirmed for an appointment."
Owens, who is active on Twitter, hasn't responded to the story.
Owens - who retired from refereeing in May 2021 - is widely regarded as one of the best referees in rugby history, having officiated over 100 international matches, including three Rugby World Cups.
The apparent Springboks' plan to employ the Welshman comes in the wake of major controversies around their interactions with match officials. Erasmus received a second ban in the space of a little over a year after he took to Twitter to make sarcastic comments about the performance of Wayne Barnes and other referees during the Autumn Nations Series.
If Nienaber and Erasmus retain the Rugby World Cup, managing their relationships with match officials - both on and off the field - will be vital.
It remains to be seen whether Owens will accept the Springboks' offer, but if he does, he could be a valuable asset to the team. With his experience and knowledge of the game, he could help the Springboks navigate the complex world of refereeing decisions and give them an edge in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive Rugby World Cup.
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The VAR was established based on a false premise that the decisions would be correct. All that has happened is another referee with their own biases comes to a different opinion. We need to accept that the referee with assistants are the final arbiters of the game and only use a video review in the case of tries. Installing this level of review shows up the complexity and difficulty of getting decisions accurate at all times. It is a waste of time and money in a game with more stoppages than most, it is very frustrating to those watching the game and that is what it was supposed to fix.
Go to commentsHi Nick, maybe the RFU coaches think that Asher Opoku-Fordjour isn't bulky enough for tighthead? I remember as a Sale fan thinking how small he looked coming on against Quins, expecting him to get mullered, only to be amazed at how well he held his own.
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