Kaplan congratulates Owens on breaking record

Cape Town - Retired South African referee Jonathan Kaplan has congratulated Wales' Nigel Owens on being set to break his Test record.

Owens will take charge of a record 71st Test when he officiates the June 11 encounter between Fiji and Tonga, World Rugby announced on Wednesday.

The match in Suva, Fiji's capital, will see Owens claim the record outright from Kaplan, 49, who oversaw 70 matches during his career as a Test referee.

Owens, 44, has established himself as one of the most respected referees in rugby since his Test debut in 2003 and refereed New Zealand's victory over Australia in last year's Rugby World Cup final.

"I don't think anyone goes into refereeing in order to break records like this, but I suppose what it says is that I've managed to stay at the top level of the game for a while now so there is a lot of satisfaction and pride that comes with that," said Owens.

Kaplan took to Twitter on Thursday to post his congratulations, writing, "Well done Nigel!"

Well done Nigel ! https://t.co/rdMIL7yu73

— Jonathan Kaplan (@RefJK) March 31, 2016