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It’s been an extraordinary few days for Welsh referee Nigel Owens who has experienced a career-defining weekend.

First he took charge of New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup final win over Australia at Twickenham on Saturday before scooping the prestigious World Rugby Referee Award 24 hours later.

In a candid and, at times, emotional interview with WalesOnline, Owens reveals....

The scene at the referees' hotel when he was told he would be doing the final

What his dad said to him when he phoned him at the Mynyddcerrig club immediately after the game

Post-match conversations with legends Brian O'Driscoll and Jean de Villiers

What it meant to dedicate the occasion to his late mother

How he celebrated on the night after the final and his plans for the future

(Image: PA)

Q: What have the last few days been like?

Hectic. You don’t appreciate what you have been a part of until you finish and look back.

The most difficult thing about Test match refereeing is maintaining your concentration. And you focus so hard sometimes you are oblivious to what is going on around you outside of the game.

It’s only when you sit down and watch the game back, which I will later this week properly, you appreciate what you have been a part of.

I was lucky and privileged to be a part of a final which was also a good game. Finals can so often disappointing and there was a lot of hype around this match.

The pressure was building so I felt that. Thankfully the first-half was a good old battle with both teams sussing each other out and the game opened up in the second-half. Now over these couple of days I can look back on what I was involved with. It was a special day.

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Watch Nigel Owens explain the world of refereeing signals:

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Q: Did you feel more pressure than ever before?

Yes, although you try not to think like that. When I wasn’t appointed for either semi-final, everybody was saying I would get the final.

You had the feeling there was a good chance but don’t know until you are told. So that week before the quarter-finals and the semi-finals was strange.

I was told on the Monday before the final, so the whole week leading up to event you can’t wait to be a part of it. But as the game arrived you don’t want it to be over so quick because in 80 minutes it will be history.

I don’t think I will ever do a World Cup final again. Andre Watson managed two but I can’t see that feat being repeated.

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Q: How did you find out about the final appointment?

We had a meeting every Monday where we would debrief with the World Rugby referees manager Joel Jutge and four selectors.

We all sat down in a room and the slide comes up with the final appointment and you see your name up there.

Joel started talking about me for a couple of minutes and saying how hard I worked.

It was a strange feeling waiting because I thought I might have got it but there were a few other referees who would have been more than capable and done as good a job or even better.

But when my name was announced everyone stood up, clapped and congratulated me.

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Q: What was your first reaction after being told?

I rang my Dad and a couple of close family friends. My Dad was very proud and quite tearful on the phone.

He went down his brother’s house to have a couple of whiskeys before going over the club in Mynyddcerrig. I think he has been there ever since!

(Image: Nigel Owens)

Q: After being awarded the final you dedicated the honour to your Mum who died six years ago. What do you think she would have made of it?

She never came to watch me refereeing. She was never big into rugby. When she got ill in her last year she watched a couple of games herself.

But normally the television would be on on a Saturday afternoon and she would be cooking in the kitchen.

I think she would have been very proud of my achievement. Telling me she was proud of me was what she told me before she passed away.

I will never forget when I launched my Welsh book, we rushed it just a little bit because I wanted to get it out before my mother passed away.

I’d come out as gay a few years before but everything came out in the press that year because of the book and my Mum and Dad had to go through that all again.

I will never forget we had a night in Pontyberem rugby club launching the book and it was packed and players like Shane Williams, Jonathan Thomas, Gethin Jenkins came down to do a Q&A and a lot of the money that night was going to cancer.

My Mum was there and it was the last time she came out of the house. She told me afterwards she was always proud of me and that night made her realise how much I meant to other people.

When she passed away she knew I was accepted for who I was and didn’t have to worry about that anymore.

Whether she would have been at Twickenham I’m not sure.

Q: Did your Dad go to Twickenham?

No, and I didn’t push him to come. He is 80 in a couple of weeks and he was at the Mynyddcerrig club and it meant so much for him being there.

It was funny because I rang the club after the game and asked to speak to my Dad.

He came to the phone and I could hear everyone cheering my name at the club and I was in tears on the other end.

My Dad came on the phone and the first thing he said was ‘How the hell did you miss that forward pass!’

I replied: 'I don’t know, I just missed it!' Then he said well done and what a great game it had been.

He is my biggest critic at times, but also my proudest supporter.

Q: What have you made of the reaction from your home village?

It’s amazing. I know how close the Mynyddcerrig community is and when I went through difficult times they were always there to support me and my Mum and Dad.

It is a great village. A lot of people say life is what you make it but life and your community also shape you.

I lived in Mynyddcerrig until 12 years ago when I moved about a mile and a half down the road to Pontyberem.

The things they have done in the village over the last week like put the posters up and put flowers and a photo of the rugby ball on my Mum’s grave meant so much to me.

At the club it has been like a carnival week. On Saturday you couldn’t move in there and there were hundreds of people standing up watching the game.

When I line up for the anthems, on the second one I always look up to the sky for a couple of seconds and think of Mum before trying to concentrate on the game.

It was the same this time but the last thing that went through my mind before the Haka was everyone at the Mynyddcerrig club.

I thought I had to do a good job because I couldn't let anyone down!

Q: What about the worldwide reaction?

It’s been overwhelming. I’ve had a lot of congratulations from rugby figures like Alun Wyn Jones, Sam Warburton and Sergio Parisse.

Outside of rugby I had a message from Michael Barrymore who sent me a message on Twitter.

He watched the programme I did last week and he was not someone you expected to hear from. Prince Harry said well done when he gave me my medal. I have so many messages on Twitter I have not had a chance to see yet.

Q: How did you think the game went?

Jean de Villiers and Brian O’Driscoll both came up to me afterwards and said nobody was talking about the referee which is a sign you have done your job. That meant a lot.

The general consensus seems to be the game went well and I was happy enough.

I have been refereeing for 29 years and there is not one game where I haven’t made a mistake. That will be the same until I finish.

The best thing you can hope for is to do your best, for the mistakes you make not to affect the outcome and for the team who should have won, to win.

There were a couple of things in the game where you can say mistakes were made. You look back sometimes and think ‘how the hell did I miss that.’

But you just do and it’s the same with players. There are always talking points in the game.

But overall the game went well, there was no real controversy and you can relax knowing your job is done.

Q: You are famous for your one liners and you had another one where you told Dan Carter not to swear. What do you make of the reaction to your quips?

People ask me whether I go out there and plan what I’m going to say but I honestly don’t. I just say it as it is on the day and sometimes people will pick up on it, think it’s funny and go viral on social media.

Q: What did you do on Saturday night?

I had a few beers in the changing room and enjoyed the hour after the game.

Nigel Whitehouse and Derek Bevan came to watch the game and joined us and then we went back to the referees' hotel and had a few beers until about 1am, and then I was shattered.

You are so mentally and physically drained after games. One reason is you are getting older and the other is the pace and pressure of these games now is so intense.

So the days of going out clubbing after matches until 4am are gone for me.

Q: What is the your drink of choice?

I like a bottle of lager but can’t drink too much because I get full quite easily.

A lot of people when we go out get embarrassed when they are with me because at the end of a night I do like a sherry!

You should see the shamed look I get at the bar when I ask for that!

When I was 15 or 16 down my Grandmother’s house, especially around Christmas time, she liked her sherry. She would give me a bit and tell me not to tell my mother!

Q: How have you coped with the publicity?

The last week or so has been manic. At the World Rugby awards night on Sunday, I just felt like going in the corner and hiding away.

But it’s nice people want to talk and I get very few negative comments.

It’s the same for players, although I stress am nowhere near the levels of some of these players and don’t have to deal with what they put up with.

With the privilege you have comes a responsibility and the least you can do is spend time with people if they want a chat or a photo. You have to make time for people.

I just remember when I was younger going out and seeing somebody out like a rugby player or off the television I wanted to meet them. That is what I expected and I hope that is the same now.

Q: You are probably the highest profile referee rugby has had. Can you use that to help recruit the next generation?

I started refereeing when I was 16 by chance after missing a conversion in front of the posts.

My sports teacher, the late John Beynon, was a great guy and told me to start refereeing. There was a WRU poster brought in by a teacher with a picture of the King saying ‘your country needs you’, stipulating the Union needed referees.

I have been privileged to have shared the field with some of the greatest players and characters in the rugby world on the highest stage. To be part of those experiences was something I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t started refereeing.

I’ve travelled to some of the greatest places in the world. If you love rugby and are not sure if you want to play or get injured, you could make it as an international referee.

It does not happen overnight and takes hard work. It’s not for everybody but the enjoyment I’ve had has been special. You can be part of Welsh rugby at all different levels. Just give it a go because I’m sure you will enjoy it.

Q: There have been calls on social media for you to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year. What do you make of that?

If you told that to Jiffy (former Wales captain Jonathan Davies), he would say, ‘A referee, a sportsman? You must be joking!’

It’s nice to hear those comments from people about the award but there are much better people out there who deserve that accolade than I do.

It’s good people talk about that and it does make people realise that you have to be an athlete to be a referee. You have to be fit and professional to ref at the top end of the game.

It’s nice people are seeing a referee as a sportsperson. But there are much more people out there who deserve that title more.

Q: You are the old man of Test refereeing at 44 and a veteran of 68 Tests. How much longer can you go on?

There is no age limit in rugby. I am 44 but am still enjoying and am probably fitter than I’ve ever been for a long time.

You work harder and watch what you eat. We had our final one-on-ones with World Rugby last week and they asked me what my plans are.

I said I was still enjoying it and would love to go on until 2019 and the good thing was they turned around and agreed. That was a big boost and the next World Cup in Japan is my next goal.

That would probably be it. I have thought briefly what I will do after. I’ve had a couple of offers in the last few months with people asking if I wanted to do some television work.

After 2019 we will see and it would be great to do some after dinner speaking and some media stuff and maybe provide a different perspective from a referee's side.

I would also like to put something back into the game and coach some young referees whether that be in Wales or on a world stage.

Q: Having officiated in a World Cup final won’t your motivation dwindle if you are refereeing a much lesser game?

No, because I love refereeing so much. If that time comes and I feel like that, it will be the time to finish.

I could have had a weekend off and most of the World Cup officials have.

But I would rather be refereeing again and I wanted to be local this weekend so I am down in Gowerton who are playing Crymych.

If you don’t love this job you can’t do it because you are going out there with everyone having an opinion and things said about you in the press that are not very nice.

Q: Are you immune to that criticism now?

You are only as good as your last game and maybe on Saturday someone from Gowerton or Crymych will be having a go at me.

In this job you are going to have criticism. As long as that line is not crossed and it doesn’t become personal then you have to take criticism.

I would hate to think the day would come when a spectator in the crowd is afraid to shout something that is funny or have banter because they fear the referee will take offence.

Q: What have you made of the Television Match Official (TMO) system?

A: You can’t have an international without a TMO anymore. It’s here to stay and we can’t be without it and it will be good for the game.

But we need to get better at when and how we use it. It has been used too much on occasions and even when it is used you can get things wrong.

When you used to make a mistake in the past as a referee without technology years ago, people would forgive you.

Now, in the modern era, when you make a mistake on the field after looking at the screen people won’t forgive you.

It’s being used too much at the moment and I would like to go back and see it used just for a try 'yes or no?' rather than going back four phases.

Maybe a captains’ challenge would work with one in each half or per game.

Anyone interested in following in the footsteps of Nigel Owens and becoming a referee can click onto becomearef@wru.co.uk