Nigel Owens makes it clear: "This is not soccer"

[@Aidankiwi]

Nigel Owens one of the best. No nonsense.

[@fredrikrugby]

+Aidankiwi for sure, mate. for sure.

[@tommyatkins2527]

He enforces rules of rugby Awesome ref

[@martintheiss743]

He is still young enough to meet with Troy Vincent. I wonder if that would get interesting.

[@marcstixdavey]

"I don't think we've met before, but I'm the referee on this field, not you." What a legend!

[@morpheusspirit6609]

I agree!! Absolutely brilliant!! One reason I enjoy watching rugby.

[@Sahadi420]

I love how the officials are allowed to talk to the players like little kids.

[@danielbottomley2780]

I luff (love) the fact that the players ARE AS NAUGHTY as kids, that requires the referees to act like the 'father scolding his children'!!

[@JodyFrancisWall]

There's plenty of clips of referees talking to players as adults. As is appropriate. Just as they address them as school boys when they act as school boys.

[@12gorman34]

Great referee , I love that in rugby there is the utmost respect for officials, Nigel Owens is one of the best, always consistent, should referee more rugby champ games, some shocking refereeing going on there!

[@zoidberg444]

Always appreciate how rugby is conducted and the professionalism of players and refs. No shouting or abuse. Just matter of fact laying down of the law.

[@rohithraman6488]

We need mic'd up refs in football. At least we can listen to the refs explaining why they have made a particular decision, or they should just do post match interviews like players and managers

[@manouchk38]

It's rugby! Referee's decisions are not to be discussed!

[@julienhopmans9031]

True

[@edemoi3817]

Yes. It is liké this. You go to war but you do not touch a referee. This is rugby.

[@JodyFrancisWall]

It can be discussed. It'll be a short discussion. The player likely won't agree with the outcome. Shouting is not discussing.

[@manouchk38]

​@@JodyFrancisWall The rules are clear. Players must respect the authority of the referee. They must not dispute the referee’s decisions. They must stop playing immediately when the referee blows the whistle to stop play. There is also a true tradition of respect of referee and referee's discussion in rugby. What occurs sometimes is explanations in order to understand the decision. Not contestation.

[@JodyFrancisWall]

@manouchk38 I understand the rules. However, the practicality of life means literally every game players question referees.

[@MsBuppett]

As a kiwi, I love Nigel Owens, he is by far the Top ref in the world rugby, hands down.

[@stevesobchak9169]

Sad that he's now retired.😔

[@MDKamijo]

The top ref in the world, no matter which sport we're talking about!

[@thakrak]

Players wouldn't cheat and refs would be "blind" in football if they could be heard by tv and the whole stadiums as it happens in rugby...

[@marcstixdavey]

Too right, mate - I'm actually a junior ref in South Australia myself, and it's incredible the amount of respect you're given just for being the ref!

[@fragmentshader2878]

Do these people realize he's talking about how soccer players think THEY are the referees and that they have to argue about everything the referee says and not about how rugby and soccer are different sports?

[@shukanzaki]

+Ramiro Basso You are right.I hate to see soccer players not respect referee and complain on his every judge.I love to see rugby players respect referee and make good game with him.

[@fragmentshader2878]

I don't even like sports, but i think that if there's someone who watches over the match, you need to respect everything he says, if what he says is wrong or not that's something that should be discussed afterwards. =3

[@tobbexbg4096]

yall are both wrong you dont know shit about football if you would knew the rullers of the best game in the world you would knew why they arugue with the ref

[@India.H]

Owens is the referee. Not the players. There's no arguing with him. On the pitch, he's in charge.But please, enlighten us.

[@dawnnorcup2020]

TobbexBG they argue with the ref because ther pricks ? Is that the rule ?

[@John-ml8qf]

You need to be stern and firm to manage 30 giants on the field.

[@morpheusspirit6609]

Total admiration to Nigel Owens!! I’m a soccer fan but I sometimes feel ashamed and embarrassed of the terrible immature and disrespectful behaviour some players have toward the referee. But rugby it’s totally different. And Nigel is the reflection of it. No nonsense and total respect to him!!

[@rohithraman6488]

We need mic'd up refs in football in my opinion just like rugby

[@naas699]

well that's on the soccer refs. next time a player comes up shouting in thir face or spitting on them - yellow card, if they keep it up - red. thet;ll put an end to it quick smart

[@Account.for.Comment]

​@@naas699that's in the laws of the game, but no refs do it, becauae otherwise there will be no player left, and he will got abused for years afterward if it is an important game.

[@hajones10]

wish we could always hear the ref's explanations in every sport

[@BroadwayJoe99]

This is why I love rugby.

[@messilionel-lf9hf]

BroadwayJoe99 this is why i hate rugby Bunch of twats Even the ref is a twat BTW i cringed when he said soccer with his welsh accent Sound like my shit hitting the toilet

[@vadarman9906]

Love how ruggers put respect on the ref's name

[@EPR89]

Ah man! This is just beautiful. That's what I love about Rugby. Discipline.

[@andrewp7673]

And sportsmanship 💕

[@1chish]

When I played only 2 people were allowed to chat on the field with the ref and that was the two Skippers. If you ever did answer back over a foul then they used to walk 10 yards nearer your posts!

[@iBlueGaming]

“Football is a game you play with your brain.” Johan Cruyff "Football is simple. But the hardest thing is to play football in a simple way." Johan Cruyff "Little by little you have to teach the United States that this is the best game in the world." Johan Cruyff

[@pedrorivera8255]

Nigel "The Boss" Owens👍

[@nexxogen]

So much about the belief that only Americans use the word "soccer".

[@mikeygormley]

nexxogen To be fair it's actually called Rugby Football so some people involved with Rugby refer to it as Soccer as Nigel Owens did here.

[@nexxogen]

Mikey Gormley And to be even more fair than that, the word soccer is used in all countries where some other football code is more popular. Like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Ireland... And on top of that, the word itself was invented by an Englishman who WAS a soccer player.

[@mikeygormley]

nexxogen That's true I'm Irish and we have our own Gaelic Football so we use the word soccer but really only to avoid confusion. If it was obvious Association Football was what we were talking about then we'd say football. I think the reason people don't like Americans saying soccer is that some I've met are fiercely protective of the word football almost as if it should be reserved just for them. A friend of mine refused to even recognise it being applied to the sport of soccer. Some people just get carried away.

[@nexxogen]

Mikey Gormley Just like some soccer fans are fiercely protective of the word as well, and won't even recognize that there's more than just one game called football but instead consider those games fake footballs that don't deserve that name. There's idiots everywhere. I think that the only reason why everyone gets angry when Americans say soccer is because they don't know that the word is not only being used in America, and that there's a good reason for it's usage, and not for the reasons you stated. I know people that get ANGRY when they hear the word soccer, and they have never even spoken to an American ever, to know what their attitude about the word "football" is.

[@mikeygormley]

nexxogen I'm not sure I can agree with that. I wouldn't go as far as saying fake but a 'soccer' fans biggest argument is that when considering the very nature of the word football soccer is the only code that can claim their game is played predominantly with the foot and they were using the word long before Rugby and a hell of a lot longer before Gridiron. While I wouldn't say anybody deserves to be fiercely protective, I would defend the argument that the word football is most historically and practically applicable to the association code. Honestly I'm a rugby fan but I think to apply the word football to either it or Gridiron is inaccurate. Ireland had a rugby manager who always referred to the 'football' in interviews. 'We held on to the football, we advanced the football etc etc' and everyone would just roll their eyes.

[@Luic1987]

A real old-school PE teacher (ex-Army too) from Somerset at school once did this to me. Piss poor weather, year 10 game and I protested a turnover ball at the breakdown, claiming hands. He stopped the game, pulled me over and gave what seemed like and endless barrage of abuse & ended it with his boiling red face less than 10cm from mine and shouted, "THIS IS NOT SOCCER, LITTLE BOY!!" I was spat all over, and duly sin-binned and given detention. The teacher's still a legend though in my eyes.

[@celticwarrior1365]

This is one of those rare occasions when I will side with Nigel Owens as a fellow Celt!

[@Brad-tu7zs]

How are you a warrior exactly? Lul

[@brianmackle955]

Owens is so right............Soccer would benefit with some of his style of refereeing. Interesting to see comments below, football can be rugby or soccer or American or Gaelic (Ireland) football, although I guess in the USA three or four kicks (of the ball) in a game dilutes the use of foot in the title !

[@brianmackle955]

Apologies...........also of course Australian football.

[@messilionel-lf9hf]

Brian Mackle kiss my ass

[@renatoacavalcante]

honest? i like football(soccer), i'm brazilian, but honestly i'm tired. It's annoying to see drama queens players wipping, nodding, shouting like spoiled kids and faking injuries all the time. I't's awesome to see a sport where you have to stick to your job. I don't follow european soccer, so i don't know if it's the same there.

[@The01Toby]

What a referee. An idol for me being an aspiring referee

[@Luic1987]

no that's dublin, rest of the country nearly always means Gaelic Football when they say "football", although in Limerick "a game of footy" often refers to Rugby Union aswell.

[@JohnRitchiejd23]

Arguably the greatest sound byte in the history of rugby.

[@Polovene]

it's called soccer. ^_^ and its a simple sport for simple people

[@raoulduke1961]

***** Doesn't matter what the "original name" was. Rugby football came before Association Football, the later of which was commonly named Soccer to make it less confusing. True rugby fans call it Soccer.

[@MrHistorian123]

I wish some football referees would be as strong and that the FA would back them if they are. Nigel Owens is a legend.

[@ddtblog1]

It's nice to hear that. Maybe I'm wrong saying the discussion "football vs soccer" is pointless, cause rugby is a professional sport only in a few european countries.

[@ddtblog1]

@divmang These sports are called football because you can score points in all these codes by kicking the ball some way. In the beginning a try wasn't worth a single point, they counted the goals from the coversions.

[@Sykesee]

Best ref ever!!!!

[@K20491]

Sure he will be the ref in the RWC 2015 final, no one deserves it more.

[@TheAmbuman1]

nigel owens is a legend

[@SuperVital83]

Enorme el senyor Nigel Owens!! Al futbol li falta aprendre molt del rugbi!! The ref is the most important person in the game. Without him, our sport will be no possible to be played....RESPECT!

[@robicenco1]

Good stuff from Owens. HOWEVER, I've got no time for rugby supporters who routinely mock football. Many modern-day footballers are embarrassments to their sport, but the game in itself is a great one that was historically played by real men, and still is at most levels.

[@nate6907]

I know that feeling when a teacher or someone calls you and another person but talks to them first and slowly turns to you, you know it's not good.

[@oisinkierancoyle5518]

You’ll never get away with behaving like a soccer player on a rugby field 🏉

[@Theocook1]

Key difference is that in rugby the decisions made by the referee are not up for discussion. To be honest I don't see why football players even bother complaining. Has anyone ever actually seen a top tier referee change his mind because of players complaining to him? Because I haven't. It's just disrespectful sniping with no clear purpose.

[@serrie85]

I think I saw it once on German league. That after protests the ref ask the player if he made hand ball. And that player admits it so the ref changed his dicisioun

[@Theocook1]

I said football, the sport you call soccer for some reason. I wasn't talking about handegg...

[@Gokersky]

They usually complain to put pressure on the referee, to affect the future calls. It sucks but football players aren't above getting any sort of benefit they can get regardless of how it makes them look.

[@messilionel-lf9hf]

Theocook1 the sport allow discussion .a friendly one .only the captain of the team is allowed If u gonna do anu disrespect move or say something u got a redbcard If u scream on the ref he can give u a red card Most of the refs give a yellow card If the ref want really to fuck u up He can give u a red card and then write a report to the FA And then the FA gonna fuck u up really bad + if aplayer punsh the ref ...he get banned for life

[@greenbrickbox3392]

​@@Theocook1association football aka soccer is an English term that gained prominence in multiple English speaking countries prior to England deciding to officially call the sport football. By this time those English speaking countries had their own types of football whether it was gridiron football, Australian football, Gaelic football or Rugby football so association football kept being called soccer.

[@Brrrrr693]

thats a good ref :)

[@joshbolam7683]

Nigel Owens = complete lad.

[@TOHOFIEND54]

ridiculous, it's like fighting over whether a Television's called a TV or a telly. It's still a damned television either way

[@melegyke]

No its a telly

[@WickedWaiata]

haha

[@messilionel-lf9hf]

Joseph Rouleau its football

[@ndsamsays]

the context is totally appropriate in their culture, hes not saying it in terms or theyre not playing soccer. geeze. o__O

[@joncurtis199]

Regardless of the differences and whether one game is more entertaining than the other, this referee is an role model for officials in all sports.

[@TheKraaken1]

Nigel, you're the BEST!

[@martintheiss743]

I wonder if Nigel Owens ever compared himself to Ed Hochuli. I think it would be wild to see Hochuli as a line official for the Australian Rugby Board.

[@brianneale2006]

Good old Nigel he is the boss and this is rugby not football

[@messilionel-lf9hf]

Brian Neale we now that no need for ur dumb ass to say that

[@martintheiss743]

Don't speak too soon Brian.

[@aramanon]

It's odd because I was always convinced that the phrase "Barry John is the best footballer in history" and "great football skills from O'Driscoll there" were perfectly acceptable phrases.

[@keenanfishwick]

best ref in the world!

[@BF3Elroy1990]

I play soccer, but i think this is freaking hilarious. He is right!

[@AsifAli-et9hx]

My favourite still is “the football stadium is 500 yards that way” 😂😂😂

[@irishgandalf757]

Also technically Rugby's full name is Rugby Football. He may have been trying to make a point of differentiating the two sports by calling football, soccer.

[@angeloruiz1873]

so i get this clear, unless your a captain, you can't argue right?

[@themajesticdoge298]

made ya dash yep

[@TimClamp]

Nigel Owens is a legend! You tell em Nige! Will never allow our beautiful game to stoop to the low levels of football (soccer) :D

[@cyclingnut2122]

Nigel Owens is awesome

[@avfc85]

He did. He really did. He served me so hard that when i called him thick he thought I was calling him fat. Ouch. Must have been an ace.

[@cspresimir]

Nope, from my point-of-view it's not pointless. In-between the verbal clashes, I've learned one or two new facts.

[@aaronchand1599]

Owens doesn't informs you of a rugby rule......he enforces it! Lmao

[@ddtblog1]

Come on, it's really entertaining to listen the rugby refs. In union I like them for the teaching style, in the NRL the refs are more friendly to the players but it's still better than what we see in soccer.

[@aseroxmilez]

yo after watching this... damn i hated the touch pause engage.. loving the touch crouch set scrum initiation

[@ElisVan]

I am sure I have many time heard a soccer referee say "this is not RUGBY" and it was probably me

[@EvanHBogle]

Every sport needs more referees like Nigel Owens what a fucking legend.

[@zniesmaczony]

Could anyone tell me what did Owens promise to do if he would hear the guy shouting again? The accent makes understanding him tricky.

[@zniesmaczony]

+2001Horatio thanks :)

[@bebeg604]

+zniesmaczony 10mins in the sin bin will shut up any player!

[@DanielTeras]

+zniesmaczony I don't think he understood the joke, or am I just dirty?

[@bitofeverything10]

well the idea of rugby came about when william webb ellis picked up a ball during football and ran with it so yeah it wasnt 'at one time' or originally had, because it was the lovechild of football and webb ellis

[@benniecady9194]

To everyone who says it's football. Nigel has spoken.

[@GWLAD]

class just class the best rugby ref in the world

[@Luic1987]

I'd like to add to your point that the irony is that today you are far more likely to be hacked, kicked or tripped in soccer than you are likely to be in either rugby code, yet that is the rule in which the sports (back then all just football) had a reason to split in the firstplace, as the soccer rules proponents were the ones more in favour of making it illegal. As importantly, the majority of people don't know the "no hands rule" wasn't in soccer from the onset, but that it was added later.

[@3cliffsbay]

Nigel is from South West Wales where the round ball game is commonly referred to as soccer.

[@MultiJimbo777]

no not really I've heard people in Ireland say soccer and everyone says "it's football not soccer".

[@chrisphillips8556]

actually it's Association football and Rugby union football. Both sports are football, as are; Aussie rules, american, Gaelic, Rugby league. Soccer comes from a shortening of the word association (although i agree not the most obvious shortening) Soccer players/fans need to stop thinking they have the monopoly on the word football. I honestly dont understand why they get so upset about it, its just a slang word for their sport used by loads of people.

[@romelnegut2005]

He doesn't mess around.

[@MegaFincham]

i can understand why he called if soccer in other parts of the world like new zealand for example want a quick game of footy can reference rugby

[@burnsyboyy7534]

Yes Nige 👍👍👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@MrBaggyt1]

the ref rules the park. Difference between rugby and football. Even in the lowest of the low leagues. The ref speaks, you listen.

[@alihire]

Hmm. I agree with you in part. The game of football is a good one. Skilful, tactically tough and demands good fitness. My problem with football is exactly what this video highlights; a complete lack of respect for the officials. And I'm a rugby player of 23 years and a (5 a side) footballer of the last 5 or so.

[@ImTheSecretSquare]

"I don't think we've met before..." = rugby's version of "If you don't know, you better ask somebody..."

[@domroberts5570]

Football needs to take some notes from refereeing in rugby. Nigel Owens excellent

[@bighands69]

Football used to be like that were the ref was show respect. Players knew not to cross the ref. I am talking about how it used to be in the UK.

[@McDosy]

Except he's talking to a South African playing for an Italian team whilst in Ireland. None of those three countries call football "football". Two out of the three (including the country of the person he's addressing) call it "soccer". Does that not make it the entirely correct term to be using to make his point?

[@sammyhill69]

Football and Rugby Union are the best sports in the world, bar none. Yes, believe it or not a person can love both. I am living proof!

[@micktu8139]

I wish the scrum law were still the same.... compare to now

[@madblaa]

If refs in football had either the courage or the brains, football wouldn't like how it is. I hate rugby, but lessons could be learned here!

[@toffeelatte6042]

There's a reason refs are respected in referee - they're mic'd up. So even if you don't agree with them, you at least know why they make the judgements they make. Also an example why VAR isn't the issue in football, VAR is fantastic in Rugby and is transparent. The issue in football is how it's implemented. Referees can discuss, say or do whatever, and no-one else knows what they said. And if they're taking the piss, the FAs of the world protect them and you will be punished if you call foul on them.

[@Luic1987]

Oh and FIFA is an acronym for, "La Fédération Internationale de Football Association". So even they say association and they run your game!

[@ceekoolo76]

This is one of the reasons why Rugby is far superior to soccer/football. And I like it ;-)

[@gdesouza6264]

As an America I cringed when I heard him say Soccer instead of Football

[@messilionel-lf9hf]

Gabriel Conway soccer in welsh accent sound like my shit hitting the toilet

[@spesh1122]

@sionnyn no he's speaking english to Conor Murray.

[@jordiejonny]

Just because ancient greeks and romans played ball games in which they occasionall kicked the ball doesn't mean they invented football. Besides my opinion on the importance of what someone calls a sport has changed since last year. Im only responding out of boredom.

[@aramanon]

Maybe a coach should teach a scrumhalf to keep schtum, I don't understand if you think it's the ref's job to teach a player to play the game, not for penalties. Anyway, it's rugby tradition that the 7 will be playing the ball on the floor and the 9 will be whiging about something, every game around the world the ref gives the same lecture :D

[@herewardthewake5502]

Best Rugby ref in the world, bar NONE !!

[@jestersage8700]

+Hereward the Wake i think joubert was tbh

[@herewardthewake5502]

John Smith A very good ref mate, Owens would still be my preference, though Joubert is food for thought for that accolade if I am honest.

[@jestersage8700]

sorry i should of put emphasis on WAS. i got bit lazy but i do think nigel owens is the best. he's completely unbiased imo

[@herewardthewake5502]

John Smith Joubert was still a good call though mate, respect.

[@messilionel-lf9hf]

Hereward the Wake so being a twat make u the best ref

[@DoubleWavedYellows]

Can a player ask the referee directly for an explanation of a decision made against him that he may not understand, or does he have to go through his captain?

[@o0MrMean0o]

the original name for British football was 'Association Football'. Rugby was originally called Rugby Football hence the RFU in team names. Soccer is derived from Association Football as a shorter name. technically therefore, rugby is 'rugby football' and British Football is 'soccer'. If you don't believe me, go look in an A level PE 'A2' textbook on History of sport and case studies.

[@billywhizz188]

respect!

[@HoveRugbyClub]

That is where you are wrong. I have always referred to Association Football as Soccer. The word Soccer comes from asSOCiation. Of the various forms of the game that became popular, Rugby Football was first and Association Football came later. Therefore you will find that older clubs (such a Brighton FC) are rugby clubs whose name is Football Club. Rugby was first and so it is called football and AF is called Soccer. See Leeds Utd. They are suffixed AFC.

[@Enginauck]

This is Blasphemy, this is Soccer ! This is not soccer , THIS.... IS .....RUGBY !!

[@RhysOlwyn]

In soccer the players are allowed to protest & argue with the referee, but in rugby the referee's word is final and if players argue with him they can be penalised.

[@kenosull]

@Liquid Yogi: I've played AND coached both rugby and football. That enough "understanding" and "experience" for you?

[@MrSpookyLover]

world class ref.

[@Luic1987]

it's more common than you think.

[@thekububeach]

You might be big .. but I'm the referee :D

[@TheClunkingFist]

"I might be small and gay, but I'm the referee. Pleased to meet you."

[@GetOnTheFloor82]

Legend!!!

[@martintheiss743]

We know nothing of him in the USA. Perhaps he could take advantage of the rumored need for 5 part time positions around Twittingham?