Nigel Owens has won his fitness battle to referee in the Rugby World Cup opener between Japan and Russia in Tokyo on Friday.
A lower-leg injury had threatened to deny the Welsh official the honour of taking charge of the tournament curtain-raiser.
But Owens successfully came through a fitness check and will be in the middle for the game at the Tokyo Stadium.
“I had a running session on Tuesday and the leg is fine,” said Owens.
“It was a concern because the injury was painful, especially in the days after I sustained it.
“But my rehab went well and I was able to pass my fitness test to referee the match.
"It's a huge honour to officiate in the first game of a World Cup and I am looking forward to it."
Owen suffered a bruised bone around the calf area during the Indigo Premiership match between Cardiff and Pontypridd at the Arms Park on September 6, with a home player accidentally clattering into him.
“It is right to say it could have been a lot worse,” said Owens.
“Had I been standing still at the time the player’s leg caught me, I could have ended up with a broken leg.
“But I was moving away and that thankfully lessened the impact.”
Overseeing a World Cup opener is another major honour for Owens, who is widely seen as the leading official in the game and refereed the global-tournament final between Australia and New Zealand in 2015.
This time, as well as the Japan-Russia match, he is also down to control the Pool C date between England and Argentina, along with Italy versus Canada and the United States against Tonga.
