
In more than 20 years of holding the whistle in professional rugby matches, Nigel Owens has had time to see dozens of captains pass by. Some have left their mark on the Welshman more than others, among them, the former captain of the XV of France Thierry Dusautoir.
When you are a sports referee, you must quickly learn to be respected. When you are a rugby referee even more so, because on the green rectangle, surrounded by 30 highly motivated golgoths, there is no room for doubt, and the whistle quickly becomes your only friend. When your name is Nigel Owens even more so, because you don’t become the greatest referee in the history of the oval ball like that.
The latter, even well after his international retirement (2020), no longer needs to introduce himself. His CV does it for him, four World Cups, more than 100 European Cup matches and just 100 international matches. This puts his man down.
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During the 100 international matches that the Welshman refereed, he had the opportunity to see talented players and world-class captains pass by. For the Welsh media “Wales Online”, he looked back on those who had left the greatest impression on him.
At the table of big names
If he will not remain the greatest captain in the history of his selection, Chris Robshaw at least had the merit of marking Nigel Owens: “she may have been unlucky to lead England at a difficult time, but he always gave his all to the cause, encouraging others to do the same, and he was a likeable man off the field“, sums up the referee.
In addition to being an excellent player, Jean de Villiers was also a man on whom his teammates could rely, “He was not only a great rugby player, but also a great leader and a great manconfides Owens, who continues, every time I met him on the field, he impressed me“.
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What would this list be without Richie McCaw? Whether you like it or not, it definitely leaves an impression on you. The referee remembers above all a man always worthy “New Zealand won about nine out of ten matches when he captained them, but Richie McCaw’s mark was the way he performed when the All Blacks lost“, he sums up nicely.
Faulting one, Owens remembers two Irishmen, the tandem captain O’Driscoll and his lieutenant O’Connell, “Whenever I refereed for Ireland back then, O’Driscoll was captain and O’Connell was vice-captain. O’Driscoll used to tell me that if I had any problems with attackers, I should talk to O’Connell about it.”
“What a captain Dusautoir was!”
Thierry Dusautoir left his mark on all Blues supporters, his match against the All Blacks in 2007 has a place in the Pantheon of French performances, perhaps alongside that of “Titou” Lamaison in 1999 against these same Blacks.
A performance to which Nigel Owens did not remain indifferent, “My choice of the best captain I have met will perhaps raise more than one eyebrow, but what a captain Dusautoir was! Throughout his career he has always put his body on the line. Remember the 38 tackles he made when France knocked the All Blacks out of the 2007 World Cup, he led by example and he understood the game very well“No problem, we remember Nigel well, but why should this choice raise eyebrows? It seems entirely logical to us.