South Africa’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus has revealed that he is on the verge of securing retired Welsh referee Nigel Owens as a consultant for the Springboks ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. 

If the deal goes through, Owens will serve as the primary communication link between the world champions and World Rugby’s refereeing department.

Despite initial reluctance due to commitments on his farm in Wales, Owens appears to have had a change of heart and is close to joining the Springboks. 

The former referee has an impressive track record, having officiated 100 international matches, including three Rugby World Cups.

The relationship between the Springboks and World Rugby’s officials has been strained over the past two years, with Erasmus twice banned for his social media activity relating to the controversial test decisions. 

Erasmus is hoping the addition of Owens as a consultant could help ease the tension and improve communication between the two parties.

He told Sports Mail the deal is close to being completed.

“Everyone knows about Nigel,” Erasmus said. “I actually just emailed him. From the outside, he said it’s a goer. From the inside, we’ll know next week.

“The reason is straightforward,” Erasmus told Nik Simon. “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. Prior to those two incidents [Erasmus’s bans], we never had stuff like that. It will take hard work to change. 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.

“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 safety, 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.”

Erasmus is known for his innovative approach to the game and previously has brought in consultants from other sports to work with the Springboks. 

If the deal with Owens is finalized, it could provide a significant boost to South Africa’s chances of retaining their Rugby World Cup title in 2023.