No I’m not. You are getting all hot and bothered about this, which shows you aren’t comfortable with it. In any sport, questions would be asked about referees being allowed to sell their services for large sums of money to the sporting fraternity of a country one week, and go out and referee them the next.
Rugby referees are professional, well renumerated , and should not be allowed to do outside gigs. It’s basic common sense. I’m sure you’ll agree if you actually think about it.
Has @dodgy_keeper retracted his comment from last night & issued Mr Owens with a forthright apology?
If Owens was only doing corporate gigs in limerick or in Ireland it would be an issue. Thats not the case.
Also, another poster doubled down on your accusation by bringing an innocent breaking of bread with a colleague and his family into it. This witchhunt, and pile on, against Owens is most unseemly.
It might wash up north in the rugby league clubhouses you visit
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https://www.iod.com/events-community/events/event-details/eventdateid/11441
https://www.firex.co.uk/agenda/firex-inspirational-speakers
https://www.facilitiesshow.com/agenda/speakers/nigel-owens
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2016/an-evening-with-nigel-owens/auckland/epsom
He is one of the most popular guest speakers in the Anglosphere. I suggest you get out more, this is like Paddy thinking X Band has a special relationship with Ireland because they told a pissed up audience at Vicar Street that they were the best audience they’ve ever had.
Getting tetchy now gilgamboa, I’m sure the cavalry will be out of bed soon, but let’s look at it this way. A referee, any referee, gets paid large sums of money by the corporate rugby fraternity because they are popular with that group. If something makes them less popular, they are less likely to be asked back.
Take Nigel Owens as a case in point. I know that he has been paid very large sums for corporate speaking in Ireland. My point was simply that, as a direct result of this, he should not be allowed to referee games with Irish sides in them. I have no knowledge of whether or not he is on the English corporate circuit similarly, so I can’t comment, but, if he is, he shouldn’t be allowed to referee games with English sides either. Same goes for all referees and all countries.
Nigel Owens is the only one I have first hand knowledge of.
It is just plain wrong, and obviously wrong.
You can say he is above it. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, but by that token, you may as well allow commercial court judges to make extra money off corporate sponsorship.
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I’ve cleared that up for you, he is.
I look forward to your retraction.
Retraction of what?
Nigel Owens is always in Ireland doing corporate gigs then going out reffing Irish sides – it’s disgraceful but part of rubby culture it seems.
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In a timely enough tale it appears 50%of Saracens now for sale. Lost almost 3 m last year and total losses over a decade up around 40m.
I think your conflating the importance of sport a little bit here pal. Take a few deep breaths
Owens’ tendency towards being a hometown ref far outweighs his corporate gig biases.
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Weren’t they owned by some South African billionaire who owns a luxury goods company and was happy to pump money in a la some of the Franch magnates?
its bad news for us if the English clubs are under pressure financially guys, they will re-jig the TV deals at our expense 
they hold all the cards
50% owned by Nigel Wray who owns Dominoes. Its the other 50% for sale owned by other SA investors so you may be right. Wray is the driving force and the primary sugar daddy though
That’s what happens when rubby clubs think they can run themselves like football clubs — the commercial interest just isnt there.
Perhaps you are correct. It is wrong in principle nonetheless.
I would also add that it is unfair of me to single out Nigel Owens, but I had no idea that this corporate lark was so widespread amongst currently acting professional referees. It should be stopped. Not only must one be fair, one must be seen to be fair.
I still found his decision on the penalty try inexplicable.
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It’s not at all surprising. Saracens get fewer spectators through the gates each season than Hearts in the SPL but have a wage bill 3 times higher. There are commercial and tv deals to take into account also but even still these clearly are a long way off making up the shortfall. 11 of the 12 teams in the Aviva last year ran at a loss. It’s hard to see how to make it work financially. The owners want more games but lads like Billy Vunipola say they would rather take a pay-cut than have a longer season. A UK league with 2 divisions would seem to make more financial sense but I imagine that would have major complications as well.
Who would play in this UK league? Aren’t all the Scotch and Welch teams in the Celtic league thing… where would that leave the Irish teams - Just their beloved inter-pros?
I didn’t want to say it but it seems to be going that way, tough on the likes of Zebre , the cheetahs and munster but its inevitable
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The English Premiership is apparently moving to a protectionist, no relegation scenario.
They also want the Heino reduced in size again.