“I learned a hard lesson about 10 years ago. I did a European Cup game, Leinster against Wasps. And the next match was a schools game. I’d just refereed [Brian] O’Driscoll, [Lawrence] Dellaglio, I was running around thinking to myself what was I doing refereeing a bunch of kids? Big mistake. I was bloody awful. In the end one of the kids said to me, you’re useless ref. I sent him off because I was annoyed with him, but more to the point I was annoyed with myself. Thing was, he was right. I’ve seen him since and apologised.” At Gowerton Owens wasn’t remotely awful. Watched by a minibus load of his friends and family, including his father Geraint who had come the 10 miles from his home village of Pontyberem, he was engaged, involved, absolutely in control. So much so that Stephen Howells, the club chairman, said it was the first game in an age hereabouts without fisticuffs. Indeed, all the players were on their best behaviour.