TODAY’S CLASH BETWEEN England and France was the first Nigel Owens had taken charge of at Twickenham since he was the subject of racial and homophobic abuse at the stadium last November.
Two England supporters were given two-year bans from the ground and fined £1,000 after the Rugby Football Union found them guilty of using ‘nasty, foul-mouthed, racist and homophobic language’ towards Owens during England’s defeat by New Zealand.
During the week, the Welsh referee told the home fans they were entitled to hurl abuse in his direction for his officiating and not his sexuality.
Despite having an exemplary game with the whistle, Owens was the target of disgruntled England fans on Twitter after the game as their side fell agononsigly short of claiming the Six Nations title.
Owens retweeted a particularly vile message sent to him before Twitter suspended the user’s account.
It should be added that the majority of message on social media were in support of Owens and congratulating him for a fine display in a game of such high stakes.
Watch his refereeing masterclass from the game below:
