Leaving a note, saying goodbye and heading up the side of a mountain to end my life. Their only son. Then they have to always worry if I would try something like that again. In the hospital my mother, Mair said, “If you ever do anything like that again, then you take me and your dad with you because we don’t want to carry on our lives without you”.

I lost my mother in 2009. She was such a huge influence on who I have become and what I’ve achieved in my career.

In my proudest moment, before refereeing the final at Rugby World Cup 2015, as the anthems finished, I looked to the sky and I could see my mother’s face looking down at me. I thought to myself, “I have got to perform today.”

I had gone into the tournament with a bit of a tag on me as the favourite to get selected for the final. I was appointed as referee for France V New Zealand quarter final in the Millennium Stadium. On the Monday the referee selections were made for the semi-finals. I wasn’t among them. Deep down I knew that meant I was likely to get the final, but I couldn’t let myself believe it. A whole week had gone by until I was told officially. It was a strange old feeling. Not jubilation, more like relief. At last I can let myself believe it. Tell my family and friends.

2015 had been, in my opinion, the greatest Rugby World Cup we’ve had to date. There were so many contributing factors; it was well organised, huge crowds, great weather and most of all brilliant rugby.

Everything came together.

So, if it was a poor final that’s all anyone would remember. The pressure was on us as match officials to perform and to ensure we delivered our part and did not become the story of the final.

Thankfully, we had two of the best sides in the world and one of the biggest rivalries in rugby. They delivered one of the best Rugby World Cup finals we’ve ever seen, and nobody was talking about the referee.