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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Katie Sands

The incident that forced Nigel Owens to apologise during Ospreys vs Dragons before being lauded a 'legend'

Nigel Owens has been lauded for his reaction to getting a bit more involved in the Ospreys v Dragons Welsh derby than he had intended.

On what was his 175th Guinness PRO14 game as referee, Owens was caught by surprise when the ball came straight to him from Ospreys replacement Sam Davies .

In the 65th minute of the game, with the Ospreys leading 29-20, Owens found himself catching the ball... before several players gather in to 'tackle him'.

They include James King and Jordan Lay.

The whistle immediately goes, with the mishap met with smiles and good nature on the field.

Shane Williams, commentating alongside Eddie Butler, joked: "That's a free hit isn't it, surely? If he's ever done anything to annoy you, that was the time to get it back!"

Addressing the Ospreys, he said: "You were last in possession, it'll be your ball. Sorry boys, the ball came straight to me."

You can watch the moment below:

He has since responded by joking he was surprised he didn't knock on, while the Ospreys have joined in the fun, too.

The game ended with a score of 29-20, with Ospreys full-back Dan Evans' four-try haul seeing him equal a record for the most scored in a single game by an Osprey and secure a bonus point all by himself.

Fans have reacted to the incident with plaudits for Owens, and have dubbed it a "gold" moment.

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