South Africa boss Rassie Erasmus has outlined why he wants Nigel Owens on board for the World Cup, believing the Welsh refereeing legend can help restore the Springbok's reputation with the authorities.
Erasmus has found himself in hot water twice, banned after an outburst towards the referee during the Lions tour and then receiving a second suspension during the autumn internationals for having another rant on social media.
He believes the refereeing expertise of Wales Online columnist Owens can help break down barriers and make the Springboks' case for them in more diplomatic tones to World Rugby.
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Erasmus, dubbed rugby's most divisive figure, is desperate to have Owens on board as South Africa look to defend their crown as world champions in France this autumn.
He says he has spoken to Owens and expects a definitive answer, one way or the other, next week.
Owens is honoured to have been approached, but holds down a role with the Welsh Rugby Union and continues to help advise on refereeing matters. It could be Warren Gatland wants him to help the Wales players on law issues for the tournament, instead.
Erasmus told the Mail that Owens remains the one missing piece of the Springboks' jigsaw, with the rest of their World Cup programme settled.
"Everyone knows about Nigel. I actually just emailed him. From the outside, he said it’s a goer. From the inside, we’ll know next week," Erasmus told the paper.
Explaining why he so badly wants Nigel on board, Erasmus continued: "The reason is straightforward. We could take one of our local refs but it would be another South African voice.
"People from the outside think the South African voice is attacking or arrogant. Even the way I talk, sometimes people think it’s aggressive. When you’ve known me a while you know it’s not aggressive.
"We definitely want to change that view. Someone like Nigel might come in and say, 'These guys are doing it right', or he might say, 'Hey guys, you have to change a few things here'. It’s the way he communicates. It’s a real thing we’re trying to fix, not a smokescreen."
Owens, of course, is famed for his communication skills with players and also as a successful after-dinner speaker. He had a number of legendary interactions with world rugby's biggest stars on the pitch which became viral social media hits.
Erasmus went on: "I don’t want to talk myself into a hole again here. We basically felt we have to repair this because obviously there’s not a great relationship. We want to reset that. It’s a genuine need for us to change.
"If we get our way, we will have him as soon as possible. We are very aligned in terms of the way world rugby’s going with, tackling, head contact. So it’s the perception of whether or not something’s OK when we send it to World Rugby.
"Maybe Nigel could talk to them for us. And then there’s his knowledge in reviews, previews, videos. We want someone to be a full-on management member. It would be great."
