Owens' highlight doesn't go to the victors, the All Blacks, who beat Australia in Twickenham 34-17, it goes to Wallabies' flanker David Pocock.

After the final whistle was blown, the first thing Pocock did was to step up to Owens and thank him for the match.

It was a move, Owens says, which reflects "the true ethos and values of rugby".

"He was the first one to come up and shake hands and say thanks for a great game, and I thought one of the greatest players in the world has just lost out on the World Cup medal, it must be gut-wrenching, and straight after the final whistle he comes up to shake my hand and say well done on a great job and a great final.

"It not only epitomises rugby's values and what a great player he is, but more importantly what a great man he is. That why that will be probably one of the lasting memories in any rugby moment that I will hold for the rest of my life."

It's testament to Owens' standing that he evokes such respect from players. The 45-year-old Welsh referee talks passionately about rugby and its values including "camaraderie, respect, integrity, honesty, [and its] work ethos" and is renowned for his even-handed, no-nonsense approach.

Earlier this month, he hit the milestone of breaking the record for the most international appearances with his 71st Test when he officiated Fiji v Tonga in Suva on June 11, the same weekend he was awarded an MBE in the Queen's honours list. Saturday, at Allianz Stadium when he referees Australia v England, will mark his 72nd appearance.

Owens is also a favourite for his quick-witted but effective quips in disciplining players. YouTube is littered with clips of his best lines, including when he told New Zealand's Dan Carter at last year's final "Don't swear now, you're on telly".

Beyond his achievements on the pitch is his incredible personal story. As a gay man, he struggled with his identity in the "macho" world of rugby, a game he had refereed since he was 16 after a school teacher sidelined him to the role because he was a terrible player.

His turmoil, from his late teens onwards, led to a deep spiral into depression, steroid addiction and bulimia. At 26, he attempted suicide with a paracetamol overdose – a doctor later told him he was 20 minutes away from death when they found him – and it proved to be a wake-up call after he realised what he'd put his family through and that he had to accept who he was.

"I'll never forgive myself," he says of his suicide attempt, "Probably the way that I deal with living with that is that I know those experiences, those tough times, those dark times, I know now for a fact that [talking about it] is helping other people who are dealing with similar situations."

He came out to family in 2005 and publicly in 2007, with no impact on his career. He says his proudest achievement is learning that his story has helped others, particularly young people, and, while bigotry remains out there, he says rugby is a proudly inclusive sport of which he is proof.

"It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, whether you're black, you're white, you're tall, you're thin, you're fast, you're slow, whatever your sexual orientation is, whatever your religious beliefs are, that doesn't matter one bit.

"All that matters is you should be allowed to be yourself and treated with the same respect as everybody else either in society or everyday life, or any sport that you choose to participate in and rugby has allowed me and anybody else to be who they are."

For Saturday's match, he says he doesn't tend to look too much into the games that have gone before, although he was an assistant referee at last weekend's Melbourne clash.

" I'll just go out there tomorrow and hopefully do what I normally do and go out there and enjoy myself, and by going out there and enjoying myself, I'm doing my best.

"If I can at the end of that game say, look, I went out there today, I did my best and I have no regrets, then I will have done my job."