Nigel Owens: Homophobic abuse during All Blacks-England test at Twickenham almost made me quit

Nigel Owens in charge of the All Blacks-England test in 2014. Photo / Getty

Referee Nigel Owens has revealed that the homophobic abuse he suffered while officiating an England international at Twickenham in 2014 almost forced him into an early retirement.

The Welshman, speaking ahead of this weekend's Pride event in Cardiff, also revealed that the intervention of a handwritten letter from Rugby Football Union chairman Bill Beaumont was the reason he decided against hanging up his whistle.

Two supporters were banned from Twickenham for two years and fined £1,000 each after an investigation into their actions during England's match against New Zealand in 2014.

"It was New Zealand vs England in Twickenham, I'd had a couple of phone calls asking me what I'd thought about the comments that had been shouted at me," Owens said.

"What we really don't know and what I don't know is were they true rugby people or were they people that just came along to that game?

"What was difficult, people talking about it and then everyone in the world knows you're gay, there's everything like that. So there was a sense of disappointment, of 'here we go again'. Even now after all I've been through there's times where it gets you down and gets you scared."

Owens considered quitting after that game, but Beaumont managed to convince him to continue.

"I remember opening the post that day and seeing a letter with an RFU postmark on it and wondering what it was," Owens continued. "I opened it and what first struck me was that it was handwritten and then I saw it was from Bill.

"I sat down and read through it and I found a huge amount of strength from it, in that they had taken the time to handwrite the letter and shown his support to me.

"He said the RFU was doing everything it could to deal with this issue in the correct manner, because there was no place for it in sport, at Twickenham or any other stadium.

"He said I was respected in rugby and Twickenham as a person and as a referee, and it brought a tear to my eye. It really meant a lot. I read it again and again and again and the bit that stayed in my mind was that I would always be welcome at Twickenham.

"The letter didn't feel like a letter that had been typed up and just sent so they were ticking all the boxes. It was a letter that really meant something.

"It came from a true rugby person – a powerful rugby person, as chairman of the RFU. The words meant something… it was meant to show me support and to encourage me to keep on doing what I was doing and also to show that people truly and really care."

Owens went on to referee many more games at Twickenham, including the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, and further beyond. He has taken charge of more test matches than any other referee in rugby's history.