So what do the strange hand signals actually signify? One of the world’s best refs gives a brilliant step by step guide

This is not soccer is the famous catchphrase of Nigel Owens, Wales’ top rugby referee and widely respected as one of the finest officials on the planet.

And football it most certainly is not. Many will be tuning into rugby for the first time as the World Cup commences, but even seasoned rugby watchers are sometimes mystified by the complex laws and the referee’s hand signals.

So who better to take you through exactly what those signals mean than Nigel himself?

In total, there are 22 rugby laws, but each with a whole myriad of sub-clauses.

Source: Rugby World Cup 2015: What do the referee’s hand signals actually mean? Nigel Owens’ fascinating guide to the laws – Wales Online