Vice-Chancellor, Nigel Owens was born and raised in the village of Mynyddcerrig, in the Gwendraeth valley in Carmarthenshire, and is widely considered to have been the best referee to officiate in international rugby union. He began refereeing in 1987, after his sports teacher, John Beynon suggested he might make a better referee than player after a school game in which he missed a crucial conversion. His first game was an under-15s match between Carmarthen and Pembrokeshire when he was just 16. From this humble beginning his career developed to the extent that he officiated his first international game in 2005 – between Ireland and Japan. Two years later, he made his world cup debut where he refereed the Argentina v Georgia game in Lyon. In Japan in 2019, he refereed at his fourth consecutive rugby world cup and, were it not for a pulled calf muscle in the semi-final, he would almost certainly have been in charge of his second consecutive world cup final, having previously refereed the 2015 World Cup Final between New Zealand and Australia at Twickenham. He is the only referee to officiate in a record seven European Cup finals, including 3 consecutively in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and also a took charge of a record six Pro14 finals. He was awarded an MBE for services to sport in 2016. Nigel retired from international duties in 2020 having achieved an astonishing 100 appearances in charge. Despite retirement from active refereeing he is still involved in administration duties with the WRU, in coaching Welsh rugby referees, and as an expert pundit in TV coverage.
Nigel made a name for himself in rugby for commanding respect from men who, in most cases, were considerably larger than himself. He was, and still is, respected by rugby fans around the globe for his authority and brilliant rugby knowledge and is universally liked by fans irrespective of club or national allegiance. He always refereed with a smile on his face and an obvious enjoyment of the game and was able to keep a relaxed but very firm hold on proceedings, defusing tense situations with a ready quip and a sharp sense of humour. He earned a following as an official who commanded respect from the players in the sport, but if they didn’t pay him that respect they were likely to be in for a long, hard 80 minutes!
His impressive achievements as a rugby referee, were even more remarkable given that in his teens he struggled to come to terms with the realisation that he was gay. This prompted a series of spiralling mental health issues, including a steroid addiction that lasted five to six years, binge eating, bulimia, depression and a close to successful suicide attempt. In his own words concerning his life in rugby “….it was a bit of a catch 22 in one sense – rugby would help me a lot in getting away from those issues; on that Saturday afternoon when I used to referee, there were no worries. It also, in a period of time, hindered me in accepting who I was, and probably contributed to those dark times in being scared of what people might say in the macho world of rugby”. Nigel struggled with his sexuality until coming out publicly as gay in 2007. Since then his willingness to bring these issues into the public spotlight has been widely commended for its honesty and integrity. The first part of his autobiography, “Haner Amser” or “Half Time” in 2009, in which he speaks openly about his struggle to accept himself for who he was, resulting in his mental health issues, is warm, funny and painfully honest.
After coming out Nigel vowed to use his experience in hiding his true identity for so many years to support others to live authentically as themselves. He has spoken publicly and often about mental health issues, and has been a constant advocate for campaigns to end stigma and discrimination against people with these issues. The message he shares is the importance of being yourself and being allowed to be yourself in order to be the best that you can be. He is frequently interviewed in the media about his own experiences dealing with difficult times and adversity, with mental health and inclusion issues. Tellingly, he always speaks without self-pity or self-absorption but with refreshing openness, honesty and candour.
Outside of the rugby world, Nigel is notable for work for numerous charities, including Bullies Out, Samaritans Cymru, Wooden Spoon, and the Welsh cancer charity, Velindre. He also works work with a number of other cancer charities and with the Welsh Children’s Hospice - Ty Hafan. He is still asked to referee charity rugby games at every level, invitations that are invariably accepted. Indeed, he even refereed a football match for McMillan – as in the round ball version. Sadly, this meant he couldn’t use one of his trademark quips often used to keep control - “Gentlemen, this is not soccer”. He has received a plethora of awards, both inside rugby, e.g. World Rugby Referee Award in 2015 and outside e.g. Stonewall’s Gay Sports Personality of the Year in 2007, and of the decade in 2015. He was made a member of the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod in 2011 and is a former patron of the LGBT Centre of Excellence in Wales.
Nigel has a unique status within rugby, but hearing about how even legends can struggle with challenges in their lives has informed, inspired and guided many others to learn how to deal with adversity far beyond the world of rugby. He has proven himself to be an inspirational figure, in rugby undoubtedly, but also off the field, to millions who can relate to his determination, his pride and his fight with mental health issues.
Vice-Chancellor, for outstanding services to rugby, and for his openness and candour in helping and continuing to help others with mental and other health issues, I present to you Mr Nigel Owens, who is eminently worthy to receive the Degree of Doctor of Health, honoris causa.