Owens has built a stellar reputation as one of the world’s best referees since his Test bow in 2005 and is rightfully among the early favourites to take charge of next October’s jewel in the crown should his native Wales miss out on a first global final.
But, while he admits that taking the whistle at Twickenham in 20 months’ time would be a huge honour, the 42-year-old from Mynyddcerrig says a Welsh win at RFU HQ would be an even greater buzz.
“I will never referee the final of the World Cup in 2015 because Wales will be in it!” Owens told ESPN.
“I’ve been asked this many times and the answer is as honest now as it’s ever been: there is nothing more I would like than to sit in the stand in Twickenham to watch Wales in that final and hopefully win that final. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than that.
“If Wales are not there and I’m deemed good enough to be one of the referees considered to referee the final then that would probably be the greatest honour I could have. But it would be an equal honour to sit in the stadium and watch Wales lift that trophy.”
Owens’ next appointment is Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations encounter between Ireland and Italy in Dublin, a clash which is his second refereeing appearance of the Championship after England’s opener with France in Paris.
His last involvement with Ireland was a memorable one as Joe Schmidt’s troops came within a whisker of a first win over the All Blacks only to be denied by a converted try right at the death.
That match has since gone down as one of the most enthralling in living memory, with Owens rightfully praised for the manner in which he allowed the game to flow at the Aviva Stadium.
“It’s nice to be part of those games and I like to think, ‘yeah, I played a part, but a small part’,” added Owens.
“The difficult thing in refereeing is knowing when not to blow the whistle. Anyone can go out there and referee and blow the whistle. It’s about knowing when not to blow the whistle, it’s about getting the balance between letting things go that don’t have an impact on that phase of play or on the game. (It’s about) dealing with the clear and obvious decisions but managing the other decisions.
“It’s not always easy to do that, it’s a tough balance. But when you’ve got players out there who are positive, it makes your refereeing in getting the decisions right much easier.”
