Nigel breaks the record
Currently he is level with Jonathan Kaplan on 70.
The record-setter for Owens will happen in Suva, Fiji, before a lot of the world has woken up to 11 June 2016. That day Fiji play Oceanic neighbours Tonga. The assistant referees are both from New Zealand – Mike Fraser and Brendan Pickerill.
Clearly it is a milestone worth celebrating and the rugby world will rejoice for he is certainly one of the best known and most appreciated referees in the game, one of the oustanding personalities of modern rugby.
Kaplan, who was 46 when he retired from international refereeing in 2013, was eager to congratulate Owens. He said: "I've always said that benchmarks do not belong to the individual – they belong to the game. Whilst I am very proud and honoured that I was able to extend the previous mark of 46 test matches set by Paul Honiss of New Zealand to the nice round number of 70, it was always going to be a temporary ownership. (Such is the proliferation of test matches these days.)
"I am very happy that Nigel Owens will take the mark to the next level. He is without doubt one of the best around and has presided over some of the best games I have seen. He is a great ambassador for the game and for his native country Wales.
"I wish him well in this weekend's fixture and beyond, and, given his nature, I'm sure he will do the same for the next flag-bearer."
Owens is equally philosophical about it all, saying from Suva: "I am really looking forward to it. Although I am not thinking about it as a record game although I'm fully aware it is, of course, and will enjoy the occasion and moment. But I can only enjoy it if I do a good job and referee the game well.
"The important thing for me here is to just go out there and referee the game as best as I can and this game like all the others is a game about both teams and players and not about me getting my record breaking cap, etc.
"I will treat this game and referee it like another other Test match I have and will do in future and the fact I am getting my 71st cap is irrelevant really.
"I will, of course, after the game look back and enjoy the moment but will only do that if I have done my best in the game.
"Only problem with these milestones is that you realise there are far more years behind you than there are in front of you."
Nigel Owens, a West Walian from Carmarthenshire, has Welsh as his first language and is by nature an entertainer. He has a wonderful singing voice and is involved in three programmes on Welsh television.
He was born on 18 June 1971 in the village of Mynyddcerrig. He first refereed Sevens on the international stage and then refereed his first Test in 2005. He has been honoured with appointments and awards. In 2013 he passed Derek Bevan's record of 44 Tests to become the most capped Welsh referee. He has refereed more Pro 12 (aka Celtic League and Magners League) matches than anybody else and more European Cup finals. He refereed at the World Cups of 2007, 2011 and 2015 when he refereed the World Cup Final, the seventh referee to receive this top appointment in the world of refereeing. The top of his many awards was to be named World Rugby's Referee of the Year.
He said recently that he hoped to continue referee for another four years, when he will be 48.
All referees will want to congratulate Nigel Owens.
