The 44-year-old Welsh official overtook South African Jonathan Kaplan to become the most experienced international referee of all time when he took charge of the game between Fiji and Tonga in Suva last month.
That was his 71st Test appearance some 13 years after he made his debut in the game between Portugal and Georgia in 2003. Since then he controlled the third Test between Australia and England in Sydney.
His next assignment will be on 10 September when he will be back in Australia for the clash between the Wallabies and Springboks at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. That will be his 13th Rugby Championship game, compared to 16 in the RBS 6 Nations.
His second task will be to control a repeat of the 2015 Rugby World Cup when New Zealand host Australia in the third and final Bledisloe Cup match at Auckland’s Eden Park on 22 October. Owens was the man in the middle when they met at Twickenham in the final last year.
Owens is one of nine referees named to officiate in this year’s Rugby Championship where two referees – Angus Gardner of Australia and Mathieu Raynal of France – will take charge of their first Rugby Championship matches.
Following his first meeting as World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee Chairman, Anthony Buchanan said: “With less than a year gone since Rugby World Cup, now is the time to develop fresh talent as we start to build towards RWC 2019 in Japan.
“Angus performed well in his debut Six Nations match this year and also in June when he refereed South Africa v Ireland in Johannesburg so his appointment to a Rugby Championship game is on merit and very pleasing for us.”
WRU National Match Officials Manager, Nigel Whitehouse, added: “It’s great to see Nigel selected for two major Test matches including the final Bledisloe Cup game. This appointment affirms his position as one of the leading referees in the world game at present.”
The selection system allows for movement in and out of the panel based on form and rewards the top performers and young referees who have graduated through the performance pathway. Every performance is closely scrutinised and reviewed to ensure accountability.
In addition, there is regular consultation with coaches with their feedback helping to inform selection decisions.
