Quick-quip Nigel must never blow the whistle on wit with his wisdom
COLUMNIST
IN the most tiresome pronouncement to come out of an Irish player-turned-pundit’s mouth since Neil Francis likened Warren Gatland to a tub of margarine, Luke Fitzgerald slated Nigel Owens for trying to be “too smart and friendly” with the players this week.
The former Ireland wing moaned: “He shouldn’t be commentating on the game. His first focus is to make it a good spectacle, that he referees the game correctly. We’re heading into dangerous territory for me. It’s a soccer thing, when you have everyone on the pitch talking to the referee, the referee trying to be too smart, trying to be friendly with the players. I’d rather he refereed the game well.”
The only person trying too hard in this scenario was Fitzgerald himself. Callow pundits often mistake needless controversy for insight. Just ask Austin Healy.
And while Nigel is no stranger to the comedic turn of phrase, the incident Fitzgerald was referring to was hardly a stand-up routine. The referee simply explained his decision while the “punchline” actually came from the player he was speaking to.
Munster lock Billy Holland had thrown a forward pass in last weekend’s game against Glasgow just after Nigel had called advantage over.
When Holland queried why play wasn’t being brought back for the original infringement, Nigel said: “Advantage is over there, lads. It’s poor play by you there on the pass. Under no pressure there.”
And Holland quipped “Cheers, coach.”
It was a human moment that provoked a light-hearted response on back: social media. But Fitzgerald didn’t see the funny side.
“I just think those kind of things are disappointing and it’s disrespectful to the players who are putting in a huge amount of effort. There’s no place for it in the game,” he said on Irish rugby show Left Wing.
Fitzgerald added: “There was a clip with Cian Healy down in Thomond Park which I thought was a step too far.”
And what was Nigel’s heinous crime against Cian?
Penalising the prop at a ruck during Leinster’s clash with Munster in December, he told him: “The handsout rule changed three years ago, where have you been?” It was another jocular moment that saw Healy jogging away with a smile on his face and social media getting the kind of clip that fans love to share.
And rugby needs these essential little viral marketing moments. The game is part of a crowded entertainment market. The occasional online clip that shows a flash of character can cut through to a new audience. Professional sport can be a po-faced place at times, so a little humour and humanity are welcome.
But in the wake of Fitzgerald’s whinging, Nigel had to defend being, well, human. In a live Q&A session for WalesOnline he tackled the subject when asked if he prepares oneliners before games.
“I honestly have never prepared any one-liners or quotes to say in a game,” he said.
“All I do is referee the game, which is what I’m there to do, and just say it as it is. My job is to referee the game and nothing else.
“I have the utmost respect for every player on that field and do not say things to belittle them or to have a laugh at their expense.
“On the weekend one ex-player suggested that I shouldn’t be saying witty comments. Explaining to the captain why advantage was over was what my job is as a referee.
“I did not see anything witty or disrespectful in what I said. I am a human being and I am just being myself. The game is not about me or any other referee, the game is about the players.
“I am only there to play a small part in it. I hope that the small part I play helps the players and the game. I am not there to do anything more. I