His first senior Test came when he officiated the Japan v Irelend Test in 2005, and his most recent was France v England on the opening weekend of the RBS 6 Nations last month.
In 2013 Owens received worldwide acclaim for the way he controlled both the South Africa v New Zealand Test in the Rugby Championship, and the Ireland v New Zealand autumn international.
Nigel Whitehouse, WRU Match Officials Manager said: “Nigel is a true professional and fully deserves the plaudits that are being placed on him. He is probably one of the most respected match officials on the international scene at present and I would rate him as one of the top few referees in the world, if not the best.
“He has shown over the last 12 months when refereeing probably two of rugby’s greatest ever games (South Africa v New Zealand and Ireland v New Zealand) that he has matured into one of the greats of the game and he has the total confidence and respect from players, coaches and supporters alike.”
Whitehouse added, “Nigel has total empathy with what players are trying to achieve and his communication style is first rate. He has been a great ambassador for refereeing world wide and especially here within Wales.
“To reach 50 Test matches is testament to his tremendous ability and he has come a long way since his first Test match in Osaka. I am sure all involved in rugby wish him all the very best for Saturday and applaud this achievement”.
Nigel Owens said, “It’s a huge honour to reach this milestone in my rugby career. It’s a privilege to feel I have played a small part in some great games of rugby and I hope to be part of a few more. I have a WRU contract until 2016 so my goal is to make the cut for Rugby World Cup 2015 and do as well as I can. I will assess where I am after that.”
