Nigel Owens column: Antoine Dupont could even rival Gareth Edwards as the greatest

Sometimes, as a referee, you realise you are in the company of rugby genius on the field of play.

You still treat the player in exactly the same way others when it comes to decision-making, but you just see his skill-set close up and realise he's a cut above the others. Technically brilliant, invariably quick, but also faster in speed of thought, too.

I was fortunate enough to share a pitch with some of these individuals. Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Brian O'Driscoll among them. Our own Shane Williams was another.

You could argue who was the best in the world during that period. That was down to personal choice.

Today, though, it's hard for anyone to disagree that Antoine Dupont is out on his own. Head and shoulders above the others, in my opinion, and there are some pretty decent players around these days, too!

I first came across Dupont when he was a teenager breaking through when I refereed him playing for Toulouse and also a couple of times for France. Young he may have been, but straight away I could see he was a world class player in the making. Dupont had everything - speed, footwork, physicality, reading of the game.

And he was an absolute pleasure to officiate, too. Very different to your normal scrum-halves, who tend to be in your ear, chirping away, telling you what the opposition are supposedly doing wrong. Must be something about the position, I guess!

He was different, quiet, just got on with the game, never moaned, had a great personality on and off the field, a genial smile.

What I saw back then is what everyone has just witnessed in the Six Nations today. His brilliance inspired France to the Grand Slam. Dupont is key to everything they do. It's not just that individual try he crafted and scored that