Owens makes 12-man ref list

Welsh referee Nigel Owens will have a chance to control his second Rugby World Cup final after making the 12-man list for the tournament which kicks off in September in Japan.

Owens refereed the 2015 final won by New Zealand against Australia at Twickenham and could be in line for the final on 2 November if Wales do not qualify.

The other referees are: Wayne Barnes and Luke Pearce (England), Romain Poite, Jerome Garces, Pascal Gauzere and Mathieu Raynal (France), Angus Gardner and Nic Berry (Australia), Jaco Peyper (South Africa) and Ben O’keeffe and Paul Williams (New Zealand).