8 Reasons You Should Watch The 2015 Rugby World Cup

One of the most fascinating aspects about watching rugby on television is the referees. Unlike in a lot of sports the referees in rugby are required to wear microphones which allows viewers at home to hear their interactions with the players and their fellow officials. Whilst this is useful for the viewer at home to hear the referee’s justification for his decisions it can also lead to some funny moments, especially when Welshman Nigel Owens is in charge of the whistle.

Owens, rugby’s first openly gay referee, commands more respect than most referees for his no nonsense attitude when it comes to enforcing the rules of the game. This attitude has resulted in some memorable quotes over the years such as informing a Treviso’s Tobias Botes that “this is not soccer!” in response to Botes demands that he award Treviso a penalty. Another classic Nigel Owen’s moment came in a Pro 12 match between Scarlets and Leinster when, after one too many off the ball incidents, he called all 30 players over and informed reminded them that “You are adults – you’ll be treated like it, as long as you behave like it!”. Here’s hoping that this year’s World Cup gives us a few more enjoyable Nigel Owens moments.