Rugby World Cup 2015: Nigel Owens to referee final between New Zealand and Australia

Owens will take charge of his first Rugby World Cup final this Saturday at Twickenham between New Zealand and Australia

Nigel Owens has been confirmed as the Rugby World Cup final referee (Getty Images)

Nigel Owens has been confirmed as the referee for the Rugby World Cup final this Saturday, with the Welshman set to take charge of the showdown between New Zealand and Australia at Twickenham.

44-year-old Owens is widely regarded as one of if not the best referee currently available, and he will become the second Welshman to referee a World Cup final after Derek Bevan took charge of the 1991 clash between Australia and England, coincidentally also at Twickenham.

Frenchman Jerome Garces took charge of the first semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa on Saturday, while England’s Wayne Barnes was the man in the middle for the Wallabies’ victory over Argentina on Sunday.

However, Owens’ omission from the matches meant that he was a heavy favourite to take charge of either the Rugby World Cup Bronze Final on Friday night, or more likely the final the following afternoon.

He took to Twitter to admit he was “humbled and honoured” to be given the whistle for the match.

“Truly humbled and honoured to be given the privilege of refereeing #RWC2015 final. Thanks for all your kind messages and tweets. Means a lot,” tweeted Owens.

Owens was immediately congratulated on Twitter by the Wales captain, Sam Warburton, with the message getting a retweet from Owens himself just for good measure.

“Congratulations @Nigelrefowens on your appointment to referee #RWC2015 final. Well deserved!,” said Warburton.

Owens has established himself as one of the best referees in the world in recent years, and many felt that the only thing stopping him from taking charge of the final would be if Wales went all the way given that World Rugby regulations outlaw referees from taking charge of matches involving the country where they hail from.