Western Mail

They arrived together and were tipped for the top... the story behind Henson and Owens’ debut game

- MARK ORDERS Rugby correspond­ent mark.orders@walesonlin­e.co.uk

HE doesn’t have the article pinned to a wall at home – that would be taking things too far – but Nigel Owens still remembers the words well and the occasion that had been written about.

The anniversar­y passed by quietly last week.

But it’s still one worth marking. Twenty years ago, on September 2, 2000, Owens refereed his first game of profession­al rugby. Coincident­ally, the match was the first time Gavin Henson appeared in a rugby match for Swansea.

Henson had actually made his Welsh-Scottish League bow four months earlier for Llanelli in an away clash against Edinburgh – his solitary appearance for the west Walians.

But he had then committed to the All Whites and was figuring in a senior match in Wales for the first time. He didn’t disappoint after coming on as a replacemen­t against Caerphilly at St Helen’s.

With time running out, the then 18-year-old collected the ball near halfway and jinked through the cover for a score that prompted a cup of coffee to be spilled in the vicinity of the press box as those nearby rose excitedly to salute the solo effort.

Owens, too, had marked his big day with an impressive performanc­e.

Fortunatel­y, the wordsmith and master journalist that was the late, great George Williams was on hand to record the events for posterity.

“I remember the following day reading a lovely piece written by George Williams about how a new star had been born in Gavin Henson,” says Owens.

“George was kind enough to add that one had also arrived on the refereeing front, too, in myself.

“He wrote that we’d both have big futures in the game.

“It was nice to read for a young referee.

“I can remember the occasion from start to finish.

“We were in the changing room before the match and George came in to wish us good luck for the game and ask a few questions.

“The game went fine and Clive Norling and Bob Yemen, two senior refereeing figures at the time, were happy.

“But then when you read something in the paper, it was the icing on the cake.

“People were writing about you. It was something new and different for a young referee.”

It didn’t take long for Owens to learn a valuable lesson, mind.

Not long after, he oversaw a game at Aberavon and this time one particular review wasn’t so favourable.

“Tony Poole, who used to cover a lot of Aberavon matches, was reporting that day and I had a slating off him, I can tell you, either in The Sporting or in the Monday edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

“Put bluntly, he didn’t think I’d done a good job and wasn’t shy about saying as much.

“I can remember cursing to myself.

“But it taught me a lesson, namely that you should never go looking for nice things to be said about yourself, because sometimes the stuff written won’t be so nice, yet it could be put together by someone whose view should still be valued.

“I guess it’s a case of ‘if you can’t take the bad as well as the good then don’t go looking for good stuff’.

“That said, I always. read press reports before and after a match because I more often than not enjoy them and feel they are part of the occasion.”

Swansea defeated Caerphilly 59-20 all those years ago, with a team of all-stars running in eight tries. Owens had travelled across from west Wales with one of his touch judges beforehand. “As we were parking, he ducked down in the front of the car,” says Owens. “’What are you hiding for?’ I asked him.

“He replied: ‘Clive Norling’s over there. I don’t want him to see that I’ve come in the same car as you, because I won’t be able to put in my expenses.’

“It probably added up to only a few pence back then.

“We used to have some laughs.” What of Henson, who also enjoyed a big day that golden autumn afternoon? There are some who swear that he played some of his best rugby for the All Whites, gliding through defences from long range for remarkable tries and dropping improbable goals with extraordin­ary panache.

What of him?

“There had been a bit of hype about Gavin, this young prospect coming through with a big reputation. People were excited about when he was going to appear on the field,” says Owens.

“When he scored a try towards the end you thought to yourself: ‘This guy has talent.’

“He had a few bad injuries over his career and there were one or two stoppages for other reasons, but on his day he could really play.”

Henson, who now owns a pub and plays football, told his own story earlier this year.

There is zero doubt that Owens went on to achieve his potential, with his career hitting a high in 2015 when he refereed the World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand.There have also been multiple European and PRO14 finals under his control.

It’s been some journey, and one he has navigated with a smile on his face for much of the time, nowithstan­ding the personal demons he had to deal with before coming out as gay in 2007.

How long does the 49-year-old see himself continuing as a leading official? “I’m still enjoying it but no-one keeps going for ever and we’ll see how things go over the next few months,” he says.

“When I look back since that first game in Swansea, there’s been 20 years of commitment, sacrifice, trav

el and being away from family and friends.

“I’m not complainin­g – far from it. It’s been an absolute privilege to do something I love doing. I’ve visited so many countries and met a lot of great people.

“But it can also take more out of you than some people realise at times.

“While I’ve enjoyed it all, realistica­lly, I’m not going to be doing it for much longer.

“We’ll just see how this coming season pans out.”

How has refereeing changed over two decades?

“It is easier to referee today in some ways, but more difficult in others,” he says.

“Because of technology, you can now put a decision up on the big screen and have the TMO plus two assistant referees helping you to make the right call.

“Back then, you were on the field and made the decision yourself.

“On the other side of the coin, what’s become more difficult is the level of scrutiny. So many decisions are pored over now, replayed on TV and on big screens. If you’ve made a mistake the crowd will know and so will players.

“When I refereed Swansea-Caerphilly that day, if I’d made a mistake, which I would have done because everyone makes mistakes, few people inside the ground would have been aware. They might have picked up on it if they watched it at home on TV later or the following day, but back then it was a blink-of-the-eye job and even the players wouldn’t have known if you’d got it right or wrong until they’d seen it again.

“But now everyone, including you as a referee, will know if you’ve made the wrong call.

“What that does is put a lot more pressure on you as a referee.

“The guys who get to the top and stay there are the ones who can park mistakes and move on.

“Not everyone can do it. I’ve seen some referees who let mistakes affect their refereeing. They worry about errors they have made and then make more errors.

“Some people expect referees to be perfect and get every decision right.

“They’ll complain about marginal calls that have no effect on play.

“So we have to be careful, because if people want referees to be perfect then we are not going to have a game of rugby.

“We are never going to live in a perfect world.

“In rugby, no-one if going to referee perfectly, just as no-one is going to play the perfect game.

“It’s about just trying to be as good as you can be and enjoying it.”

Owens has refereed some of the all-time greats in the game and is regularly asked who’s been the best of the best when he’s been in charge.

It’s not a question he finds easy to answer, but he does have a personal favourite.

“If I was backed into a corner and asked to choose the best player I’ve refereed, I’d say Shane Williams,” he replies.

“I know it’s pretty much an impossible question because people play in different positions, have different skills and have played in different eras.

“But Shane was a wonderful player. You didn’t know what he would do next on a pitch and he always entertaine­d.

“I’m pretty sure I reffed the first game he played for Amman United. My memory tells me he scored four tries. I remember thinking: “Who is this guy?’

“If you look back to Phil Bennett coming up with those sidesteps at the start of the great Barbarians try against New Zealand in 1973 or Gerald Davies sidesteppi­ng for Wales when they scored that try against Scotland in 1977, not many players have those kind of skills these days.

“But Shane was cut from that sort of cloth.

“He was a special player. “Damian McKenzie from New Zealand is one who has that kind of sidestep. He’s very similar to Shane in stature.”

Twenty years have been covered in 20 minutes, and it’s time to bring proceeding­s to a halt while rememberin­g how a reporter’s words from two decades ago were proved to be bang on the money.

Those at St Helen’s that day witnessed something seriously significan­t, indeed.

 ??  ?? > Gavin Henson in action for Swansea early in his career
> Gavin Henson in action for Swansea early in his career
 ??  ?? > It was clear Nigel Owens was destined for refereeing stardom from the off... or at least that was the view of one well-known rugby journalist
> It was clear Nigel Owens was destined for refereeing stardom from the off... or at least that was the view of one well-known rugby journalist
 ??  ?? > Shane Williams goes over against Scotland in 2009
> Shane Williams goes over against Scotland in 2009

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