To no one's great surprise, Nigel Owens has been named ref for the World Cup final this weekend. Owens is a much admired referee among players and supporters and is often cited as the best ref in the world.
His assistants on the day will be Wayne Barnes and Jerome Garces. He is the first Welshman to get the final since Derek Bevan in 1991.
Alain Rolland is the only Irish ref to have managed a World Cup final, refereeing the 2007 decider in Paris between England and South Africa.
Owens released a statement after receiving the news, in which he paid tribute to his parents.
This is my third World Cup, and I think it has been the best. It has been inspirational.
The quality of rugby on display has been incredible in front of packed venues, and so to be given the opportunity to referee the final match between the best two teams in the tournament is an amazing honour.
I would like to thank World Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union for their support over many years.
There have been so many individual people throughout my career who have helped and supported me along the way, and while I can’t name everyone here, I will be thanking everyone personally in due course.
I want to thank my friends and family for their ongoing support and for helping me through some rough times in my life.
My dad, in particular, is always there for me and is delighted with this news - it’s just a shame my mother is not here to see this as she was a pillar of strength for me. She passed away six years ago, and I know she would have been very proud.
Truly humbled and honoured to be given the privilege of refereeing #RWC2015 final. Thanks for all your kind messages and tweets. Means a lot
— Nigel Owens (@Nigelrefowens) October 26, 2015
