Nigel Owens: Peter O’Mahony could become a marked man by referees

The Welsh referee pointed to a blocking penalty against Conor Murray as an example of the role of referees' prep work in identifying players’ trends

Nigel Owens. Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

Peter O’Mahony could become a marked man by referees after his dismissal in Ireland’s 21-16 Six Nations defeat in Cardiff.

That’s the verdict of the world’s most capped referee, Nigel Owens, who told BBC Wales that officials often take heed of “trends” in players’ and teams’ actions.

The Munster flanker was shown a red card by England referee Wayne Barnes in the 13th minute for making contact with the head of Wales prop Tomas Francis with his elbow as he drove into a ruck.

“I wouldn’t go in with any preconceived ideas, but you are aware if someone has been sent off before for it,” said Owens, the first man to control 100 Tests.

“It was very similar in the second half when Conor Murray got penalised, rightly so, for blocking near the end of the game. 

“When we were in refereeing camp a year or so ago we actually discussed from an England v Ireland game Conor Murray doing that, subtly stepping around and stopping the chaser coming in. 

“When referees do their prep work they will be quite aware of the trends and some players and some teams. 

“When Peter O’Mahony is going into contact areas again, and a player is injured, it will be on the referee’s radar, he’ll think ‘let’s see what happened here’.

“I’m not saying that Peter O’Mahony is a dirty player but he paid the price for it (Sunday), and probably Ireland did as well.” 

O’Mahony earned himself an unwanted piece of history through his rash action as he became the first Irish player to be sent off in a Six Nations match. Back in October 2020, he was dismissed in a PRO14 game against the Scarlets after picking up two yellow cards.