Former international rugby union referee Nigel Owens took centre stage as over 280 people packed into the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel for Lincoln RFC’s 2025/26 Sportsman’s Dinner.

The 54-year-old Welshmen enjoyed a 23-year career in the sport and spoke of some his most memorable moments as he captured the attention of the audience.

He spoke about how privileged he felt to referee the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final between New Zealand and Australia, and the “best game” of the 2019 tournament - England beating the Kiwis 19-7 in the semi-final.

He also picked out South Africa Vs New Zealand as the most difficult fixture to referee, and former England star Austin Healey as the worst player to officiate.

Being part of Lincoln Rugby Club was key to so many people in the room on Thursday night and Owens spoke about the value of respect, saying: “Rugby Union upholds the value of respect better than any other sport in the world”.

Owens certainly grabbed the attention of everyone watching with interesting, and funny, stories, and even belting out a Welsh song. Later, he also said that if USA “start taking rugby seriously….god help us all”.

Owens wasn’t the only rugby legend in attendance as England’s World Cup Winner Neil Back was another special guest on the night.

It was a very successful night for Lincoln Rugby Club, who raised in excess of £15,000 from ticket sales and the silent and live actions.


Lincoln RFC would like to say a big thank you to the DoubleTree and their staff for hosting and providing such a great event, and also to club staff Jacqui and Ashleigh for playing a crucial part in managing proceedings on the night.